Can't Hurry Love
by THE Imzadi Fan
Summary: Nonmagic. Piper is newly divorced nightclub owner. Leo is a doctor that moves in across the hall. Major PiperLeo. Newly revamped, check it out! Rating has changed to M!
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer—Yeah, you all know I don't own Charmed. If I did, Andy never would have died, Piper never would have been with Dan, Phoebe would have died instead of Prue, Piper's first child would have been a girl instead of a boy (not to say I don't like Wyatt, cause he's so adorable!) Leo never would have been made an Elder and left Piper, and Chris wouldn't have happened (yes, I hate that character! Just the adult one, though, not the baby, cause he's adorable too!) and oh yeah…what happened in the 10th episode of season 8 wouldn't be happening either. So basically…yeah, I'm not stupid Kern! Stuff you know is from Charmed ain't mine, but stuff that happens to show up in the story that's not from Charmed…yeah, it's from my own head. This applies to all the chapters, not just this one.**

**The first part of this I wrote about two years ago. I revamped it, though. Some parts just weren't really clicking, so I rewrote them. I hope you all like it. Oh, and my New Year's resolution is to actually finish the story, so hopefully I'll stick to it and update regularly. I got re-inspired by some fanfiction here. I look forward to your reviews.**

Piper Halliwell had just gotten out of the shower when she heard a knock on the door. "Great...that's just great. Figures someone would be at my door now," she mumbled to herself as she put on her robe and wrapped her wet hair in a towel. It was a sunny spring morning, and she was supposed to be meeting her lawyer to finalize divorce papers between her and her ex-husband, who had already moved to Manhattan. The meeting was supposed to be at eleven and it was already ten minutes after ten. She thought about ignoring the knock as she moved into her room, figuring whoever was at the door would just go away. She rolled her eyes when she only heard the knocking become more persistent. She sighed and headed out of her room then to hopefully chase whoever it was away quickly so she wouldn't be any later than she already was. "Alright, alright, you can stop the knocking already, I'm coming," she said as she opened the door to her San Francisco penthouse apartment. "May I help you?" she asked a bit more grumpily that she meant to, especially once she took in the very attractive blonde man standing in front of her.

"Um...hi. You're probably wondering why I pretty much was banging your door down. I'm supposed to be meeting my real estate agent here to look at the other penthouse across the hall...and she's a little late..." he trailed off.

"Yeah, aren't we all," Piper muttered. Seeing his confused look, she shook her head. "Nothing, sorry."

"Well anyway, my pager went off...they need me back at work, so I have to go. And my cell phone just died, so I was wondering if I could maybe use your phone to call work and see what's up and then my real estate agent if I have to leave?" he asked with a hopeful smile.

"Yeah, sure..." Piper said, moving out of the way for him to come inside then. "There's a phone in the kitchen," she added, pointing to her left. "I have to go finish getting ready. Apparently your agent isn't the only person running late for a meeting this morning," she told him before heading back to her bedroom to get dressed. She quickly put on a pair of black pants and a white button down shirt before fixing her still wet hair up in a sort of French twist since she hadn't had time to dry it. She then headed back to the kitchen, putting on a quick bit of eye shadow as she went.

The man had just hung up the phone as Piper re-entered the room. His mouth opened slightly in shock as he saw her. He had thought she was pretty when she answered the door, but to see her dressed in form fitting black pants and that button down white shirt that accented the right places, not to mention her still wet hair, he changed his description of her from pretty to gorgeous.

Piper caught him looking at her and just looked back curiously. "What, is something wrong? Did I forget to put on my pants?" she asked, figuring she'd just gotten dressed so quickly she hadn't completely pulled herself together and forgotten something.

"No...you just...never mind," he managed to get out, finally getting control of himself again.

Piper smiled a little. "Yeah, I look different once I actually get dressed. Sorry if I was a little snippy earlier. I have a meeting with my lawyer and I managed to oversleep," she explained before expertly putting on a coat of lipstick without even looking in a mirror. "My name's Piper by the way. Piper Halliwell," she added.

"I'm Leo Wyatt. Thanks for letting me use your phone. I actually have to go," he told her.

"I'm on my way out too. If you can wait two minutes for me to get my shoes on, I'll walk you out," she offered, grabbing her keys off the counter and heading back into her bedroom to slip into her shoes and grab her purse before meeting him at the door.

Leo followed her out of her apartment and waited silently for the elevator. "So, you mentioned a meeting with your lawyer...pretty lady like you wouldn't be in any kind of legal trouble, now would you?" he asked with a smile so she wouldn't take the question as an insult once they were inside the elevator.

Piper laughed softly. "No...no it's my divorce lawyer. It's supposed to be finalized by now and all. Basically I'm just making sure everything went as planned, and I'm no longer a married woman," she explained.

"Ah, I see. Not many women I know would be quite so happy about dissolving a marriage," he observed.

"Yes, well, they weren't married to Riley, either," Piper commented, almost bitterly. "My ex-husband is an asshole. Only took me three years to see the light," she added. "Thank God he's New York's problem now, and I no longer have to put up with his crap."

Leo raised an eyebrow slightly. "That bad?"

"Trust me...much, much worse," she told him seriously as they stepped out of the elevator. "Well, it was nice to meet you Leo. If you end up getting that penthouse, I'm sure we'll be seeing a lot of each other," she smiled, her mood completely changing after she stopped speaking of her ex-husband.

"Yeah...I'm sure we will," Leo grinned before heading off in the opposite direction from her.


	2. Chapter 2

Piper finished up with her lawyer and got her copy of her finalized divorce papers before heading out of the office and getting in her car to head to her restaurant that she owned. She entered Quake with a smile and headed behind the bar.

"Wow Piper, you look happier than I've seen you since I started working here," Casey, Piper's daytime manager told her.

"That's because my divorce is finally finalized," Piper grinned. "I am now completely free of that jerk of an ex Riley," she added. "I feel like a brand new woman. I'm having a little celebration at my club tonight if you want to join. It'll probably just my sisters and you, maybe a couple more friends from here and there. You interested in coming? Drinks are on me," she told her with a smile.

"I'd love to, but I finally managed to get that cute guy from my building to ask me out, and we have plans tonight. Sorry," Casey told her with an apologetic smile.

"I completely understand. Tell you what; I'm here now, so how about you go ahead and take your lunch?" she suggested.

"Thanks, Piper; I'll be back in an hour then," Casey smiled, grabbing her purse from underneath the counter and heading out the door.

Piper smiled and watched Casey go. She leaned against the bar and stuck her pen in her mouth as she looked over some paperwork, not having that much to do there since the lunch rush was pretty much over.

"Excuse me...can I get a glass of water?" a man's voice asked.

"Sure, sorry," Piper glanced up, offering a small smile as she put down her pen to do as the man asked. Her smile grew as she paid attention to whom the man's voice belonged to. "Hi. Leo, right?" she asked.

"Yeah. I didn't know you worked here," Leo said with a smile.

"Oh, yeah, well...I try to split my time between this place and my nightclub. I believe in being an active owner instead of one who sits in an office all day and has no idea about what's going on in her business," she told him. She laughed a bit at the reaction to what she'd said. "What, you didn't think a woman could be a successful business woman?"

"No...I mean, yes, of course she can. I'm just amazed that you run two businesses that are somewhat different is all. That's pretty successful. I can see how you have that penthouse now," he answered.

Piper smiled a bit. "Yeah, well, I wasn't always this successful. So I'm assuming you're here for lunch. You want me to get you a table, or are you fine here at the bar?" she asked him.

"Well, if you don't mind the company, I'm fine here," Leo answered her.

"Great," Piper smiled at him. "So, did you get everything straightened out at your job?" she asked curiously, casually leaning onto the bar and giving him her full attention. She had to admit, he was rather handsome. And it was nice to talk to a charming man again after her disaster of a marriage to Riley.

"Oh yeah. They needed me to fill out papers and update my records and stuff," he explained.

"I see. So then it wasn't a real emergency," she smiled a bit. "Where do you work? That is, if you don't think that's me prying."

"It's okay," Leo grinned. "I work at San Francisco Memorial. I'm a doctor," he told her. He laughed when he saw her shocked expression. "What, you don't think I could pass as a successful doctor?" he asked a bit teasingly, using some of her own words against her.

"Funny man. I just...you don't look like most doctors I've come up against. They're kinda...old, stuffed shirts, and boring," Piper explained her reaction to him.

"It's ok. But yes, I am a doctor. I just moved back here from New York, actually. I grew up here and went out east for medical school. I just missed the place and decided I wanted to try to move back. When I got a job offer from Memorial, I couldn't refuse it. So here I am. It's why I was hoping to look at that penthouse across from you this morning. Living out of a hotel room is starting to get old, and I've only been doing it for four days," he told her.

"Well that explains why I haven't seen you around here before. So can I get you something else besides water?" she asked him.

"Well, you know the menu here better than me. I'll let you surprise me with something," Leo told her. "I'll take whatever you recommend."

"Alright, then. I'll be right back," Piper smiled, heading into the kitchen to put the order in then. She returned a few minutes later and had to take care of a couple customers before she could get back to her conversation with Leo. "So have you had a chance to look at the penthouse yet?" she asked casually.

"Nope. I made another appointment with my agent for tomorrow morning," Leo answered her.

"Ah, I see. Well if it helps any, I was in it once. It's pretty much the same layout as mine. The furniture is different, cause I picked out all my own. But it's a great building, nice neighbors below, great neighborhood. And the price is pretty good compared to some of the other penthouses available in the area," she smiled, telling him what she knew. She definitely wouldn't mind having him across the hall from her, that was for sure.

"Well, maybe I'll just call my agent and snatch the place up before anyone else has a chance then. I mean, you think it's so great...I have to admit, I like the building and the neighborhood so far. I like the layout of your place from what I could see this morning...and I agree, I think the neighbors are great, even if she is a bit snippy when she answers the door, but she's awful adorable in her robe," he flirted a bit.

Piper couldn't hide the blush that rose to her cheeks. "Thanks. I don't usually answer the door like that, but you wouldn't stop knocking," she said. After a few minutes of looking at him in silence, she spoke again. "So you haven't been here recently, huh?"

"Nope. It's been over ten years. Why?"

"Well, if you're tired of living in your hotel room, you can hang out at the nightclub I own. It's called P3, and it's not very far from here. According to the Bay Mirror, it's one of the best nightclubs in the area. I'll put you on the list to get in tonight if you're interested. My sisters and I are going to celebrate my divorce being finalized tonight if you're interested," she offered, silently hoping he'd agree to join them. He seemed like such a nice guy, and he shouldn't have to be stuck in his hotel room alone.

"Uh...are you sure? I mean, you just met me. I wouldn't want to intrude..." he started.

"Nonsense. You aren't intruding. I invited you," she grinned. "Come on, it'll be fun. You can meet some people and get out of your hotel room for the night. It's better than watching reruns on TV," she reasoned. Seeing him still a bit reluctant to accept her offer, she flashed an even bigger smile. "I'll even through in dinner. You've probably been living on takeout for the past week, so meet me at my place at six, I'll cook you dinner, and then you can follow me to my club. What do you say? I'm definitely better than Chinese or pizza," she promised, trying to entice him with that.

"Well, when you put it that way, how can a guy refuse?" Leo grinned, finally giving in to what she wanted. "I'll be there at six then," he added.

"Good. Hermit life inside a hotel room is never fun," she told him with a soft laugh, refilling his water glass as a waitress from the back brought out his order. "I should warn you about my sisters though. Prue is my older sister. She's been trying to get me to date since Riley and I separated, so don't be surprised if she tries to play matchmaker tonight. Phoebe is younger than me...and she'll either try to play matchmaker with Prue, or she'll try to get you all to herself to make you her latest man of the week. Prue's husband Andy will be there too; he's like the older brother I never wanted, so watch out for him as well. He'll follow Prue's lead, like he always has since they were kids in diapers," she grinned as she explained everyone to him.

"No...it's fine. I look forward to meeting some people. So far I've only met with my real estate agent and the people at the hospital. It'll be fun to get out of the room anyways; I'm starting to get cabin fever I think," Leo grinned. "Wow, you know you're food. This is great," he said after taking a few bites.

"Yeah, well...this wouldn't be a successful restaurant if I didn't know my food, now would it?" she asked, allowing herself to relax a bit and even flirt some, which she was busy doing when Casey walked back through the door after her lunch break.

She remained silent behind the counter watching them with a small smile. Piper looked happy...like she'd told her, happier than she'd seen her since she started working there. She hadn't seen her date anyone since Riley, and this man she was talking to was a very attractive man and seemed sweet.

"Lunch was great Piper, but I've got to get going. I still have a few more things to handle at the hospital, and I've got to call my real estate agent to grab that penthouse you recommended," Leo said softly, standing up and pulling out his wallet.

"It's on the house," Piper grinned. "It's makeup for me being so snippy with you this morning," she explained.

"Thanks," he smiled. "I'll see you at six then," he added, giving her hand a gentle squeeze before heading out of the restaurant with one last look at Piper.

"Woah, Piper...you go girl," Casey teased her, coming over to her then. "Your divorce is final for one day, and you've already got yourself a man. Why can't I have your luck with men?"

"I don't have myself a man, Casey; what are you talking about?" Piper asked, wiping off the counter.

"Please...'I'll see you at six?' Sounds like a date to me," Casey reasoned with her.

"It's not a date. The poor guy just moved here from New York; he's been living out of a hotel room for a week. I felt sorry for him living on takeout with nothing to do, so I invited him over to my place for a home cooked meal and to P3 to hang out tonight. It's not a date; I'm just helping him meet some new people. Besides, he's moving in across the hall from me. I met him this morning when he used my phone to call his real estate agent," she explained to her friend. "It's not a date," she insisted.

Casey gave her friend a small smile. "Honey...it's dinner and your club afterwards. It's a date. Besides, you were totally flirting with him when I came in. You like him, and from the looks of it, he likes you too. Although I don't know how he couldn't. You're successful and beautiful and friendly and funny...any man would love to be your date for the evening," she told her.

"I was not flirting. I'll admit; he is attractive, but..." Piper got out before Casey interrupted.

"Piper, he's more than attractive. That man is gorgeous. You want to lie about liking him, I might let you by with that. But do not lie about how he looks," Casey corrected her friend.

"Ok, fine. He's a very attractive man. But he's new in town, I just met him, he's a doctor so he's going to be busy, and I don't know much about him. For all I know, the man has a girlfriend or a fiancée or something," Piper told her. "And it's honestly not a date. You've been hanging around my sister for too long."

"Whatever, Piper. You just keep telling yourself that," Casey grinned, heading back into the kitchen then.

"Fine, I will!" Piper called after her as she kept telling herself she was not having a date with Leo. It was just her being friendly to the new guy.


	3. Chapter 3

It was 5:45, and Piper had just walked through the door to her penthouse. "Did I do something to make someone hate me today?" she mumbled as she quickly headed to her bedroom. She only had fifteen minutes before Leo was supposed to be there for dinner, and she hadn't even started on it yet. "Great, now he's going to think I'm always late..." she groaned, quickly exchanging her current shirt for a more form-fitting red short sleeved one, and her current pants for a mid-thigh black mini-skirt. She released her hair from the French twist and grabbed a brush, running it through until she was satisfied. She had just enough time to freshen up her make-up before she heard a knock on the door.

Leo stood somewhat nervously holding a bottle of wine and flowers. He couldn't pinpoint where the nervousness was coming from exactly, but he couldn't help but feel it. He knew Piper didn't mean the invitation as a date—she struck him as the old fashioned type that would wait for the man to make the first move—but he was attracted to her and couldn't help but like her. Seeing her answer the door with a smile, he looked her over and had to take a moment to remember how to speak. "Wow...you look...wow..." he stumbled over his words.

Piper blushed very slightly and moved aside to let him in. "You look nice too," she said softly, taking in his perfect fitting black button up long sleeve shirt and dark, stone-washed jeans that fit better than perfect over his hips and butt. "I have to apologize for not having dinner ready yet; I got hung up at Quake and then traffic was never ending..." she trailed off as she shut the door.

"Oh, no...you don't have to apologize. I actually like to watch women cook," Leo assured her. Laughing softly at Piper's raised eyebrows, he shook his head. "Not like that. I just mean that I can't cook, and I like to watch people who can...I guess you could call it a guilty pleasure or something like that," he explained. "Oh, these are for you," he added, handing her the wine and flowers.

Piper flashed him a dazzling grin as she took the items. "Wine and flowers? Really, Leo, you shouldn't have," she said simply, heading into the kitchen and placing the wine on the table before grabbing the empty vase and putting the flowers in it with some water. "But thank you. It's a nice gesture," she added.

"So, what's for dinner?" he asked, finally breaking the silence as they looked at each other.

"Um...well...see you're lucky I haven't started it yet. Now you can help me out," Piper told him with a smile. "Relax...I'm a trained professional. I promise no one and nothing in the kitchen will get hurt in the preparation of dinner," she laughed at his somewhat scared look.

"Spoken like a woman who's never seen me in the kitchen. I don't think you understand...I'm the type of guy who burns TV dinners and popcorn because I don't realize you're supposed to remove the plastic wrapper," Leo explained, his look serious.

Piper laughed even more at his admission. "Oh my God, that is bad. Don't worry, there will be no microwaving...at least not any that would put anything in danger because you leave a plastic wrapper on it," she giggled, checking the time. "Ok, how about for your first cooking lesson we do spaghetti? I was going to make something else, but seeing as how I was running late, we're a little pressed for time, and spaghetti is relatively quick. Well, quicker than what I originally had in mind anyways," she said, already in the process of taking out what she would need.

"Piper, I've been living off Chinese takeout, fast food, and pizza for a long time. Trust me when I say that anything we have is better than that," Leo assured her with a charming boyish grin.

Piper reached out and placed her hand on the counter, her stomach doing flip flops from his grin. Despite what she would admit to herself, she was attracted to him. How could she not be? He was charming and sweet and handsome; hell, who was she kidding? That man was pretty gorgeous. She hadn't been in a real relationship since her ex-husband, or at least nothing more than an innocent date or two that her sisters had forced her to go on, and she wasn't in any hurry to get into any kind of relationship and give up her independent, single status. Not to mention she had no intentions of getting married and going through another hellish 3 years then a divorce like she had with Riley. "Um…ok…ok then," she recomposed herself and pulled out two pots: one for the noodles and one for the sauce. "Fill this half full of water, pour a tablespoon of oil in it, and put it on the stove until it starts to boil," she grinned, handing the smaller pot to Leo.

"Well that's easy enough," Leo nodded, taking the pot from her and proceeding to do as she asked. He carried the pot of water over to the stove and placed it on the front burner before measuring out the oil and pouring it in as well. He turned a knob and turned to her, obviously pleased with himself for accomplishing that.

Piper was watching him carefully as he worked on his task. Seeing him turn on the wrong burner, she smiled to herself and moved over to the stove. "First lesson: make sure you turn on the correct burner, otherwise you'll start a fire or burn yourself," she told him softly, placing a hand lightly on his back as she leaned past him to turn off the incorrect burner and turn on the proper one.

Leo found himself holding his breath as she not only touched him, but leaned close to him to correct his mistake. "Right…see, I told you I needed help," he said softly and somewhat embarrassed as she removed her hand and took a step back from him. "What's my next lesson?"

"Next lesson…" she trailed off with a small smile, reaching over to unbutton his left shirt sleeve and turning it up a bit. "Roll up your sleeves; if you don't, they'll only end up getting in the way," she told him, her smile only growing as she then released his sleeve and moved over to the counter to cut up the tomatoes she was going to use in the sauce.

"Sleeves…right," he said, letting his eyes run over her from behind as she worked. "So what do I do next?" he asked as he finished rolling up both sleeves then.

"Next you wait for the water to boil and then put the noodles into it," she answered without looking up from her work.

"Come on, Piper…let me do something else," he suggested softly, moving to stand beside her and lean back against the counter to try to convince her.

She glanced up for a moment and shook her head. "Baby steps, Leo, baby steps," she informed him before finishing up with the tomatoes and placing them in the larger pot. She added the rest of the ingredients and carried the pot to the stove, placing it on the eye beside his noodle pot. "Leo…water…watch," she told him simply.

"Yes Ma'am," he answered with a mock salute before moving back to the stove. The rest of dinner preparation was done in the same manner with slight playful banter and mild flirting.

Once the food was prepared, Piper pulled out two wine glasses and set them on the table along with two plates and silverware. "Alright then…dinner is served," she grinned. "Eat up," she added before filling his plate first and then hers as he poured the wine.

Dinner was filled with small talk, mostly them getting to know one another better. Piper told him what she knew about the neighbors and the new places that had probably opened since he'd moved away, and Leo in turn, spoke mostly of things he remembered about San Francisco that was still around. In speaking of themselves, Piper carefully avoided the subject of her failed marriage and anything to do with her ex-husband, and Leo didn't dare press the issue either. He had to admit he was curious as to how or why any man in their right mind would let her get away; he'd only just met her and found her to be the most fascinating, successful, brilliant, attractive woman he'd ever met, but he got the impression she didn't want to speak about it with anyone, let alone someone she barely knew.

Once they'd finished both dinner and the wine, Leo got up to help Piper with the dishes. "It's ok, you know. You can go relax in the living room and let me handle these," Piper insisted as she carried the dishes over to the sink.

"Nonsense," Leo said, carrying his plate over. "I may not be very good as a cook, but I can handle washing dishes. Besides, I don't mind helping out. Better than sitting on your couch alone," he added.

Piper just shrugged. "If you say so," she told him. She was silent for a couple minutes before looking at him seriously. "Thanks for having dinner with me. Eating alone is…well…lonely," she said softly. "It was nice having company and having someone to cook for."

Leo smiled at her. "It was my pleasure, trust me; I enjoyed the company and conversation as well. And you were right…you're a million times better than takeout," he assured her.

"Thank you," she replied softly. She was once again quiet as she worked on washing the dishes, leaving the task of drying to Leo. "Before we go to P3…I just…I don't want you to get the wrong idea about tonight…" she trailed off, not knowing why she suddenly blurted it out, but she had. "I mean…I know my sisters; they're going to try to make it out as a date…and that wasn't my intention for tonight," she tried to explain.

Leo offered her a small smile. "Hey, no worries. I didn't think you meant it as a date. You're just a nice girl showing the new guy around and getting him out of his boring hotel room for the night," he said.

"It's just…I haven't dated anyone really since my ex husband…and that relationship just did not go the way I'd planned at all," she added.

"I understand. Don't worry about it," he re-emphasized. "Um…how long were you married, if you don't mind me asking?" he asked her after a few moments of awkward silence.

"Well, that's complicated. Technically, we were married for 3 and a half years, but we've been separated the last year…and we were together for a year and a half before we got married," she informed him. She paused a moment before continuing. "Looking back now, I'm not even really sure why I married him and spent so many years of my life with that man. I can't figure out why I didn't see him for who he really was in the beginning; I'm usually a great judge of character."

"You shouldn't blame yourself, Piper. Sometimes marriages…relationships in general…just don't work out the way anyone would like. It's not your fault," he smiled. "For what it's worth…this Riley guy must have been out of his mind to let you get away."

Piper looked up to him with a small trace of a smile. "Thanks, Leo. But apparently Riley preferred the more dependent blonde secretary bimbos he was screwing behind my back," she said with a slightly bitter tone before taking a deep breath and turning back to the dishes. "Can we not talk about this anymore please? It's not exactly my favorite subject," she requested softly, giving him a pleading look that gave away just the slightest traces of pain and heartbreak at what he'd done.

"Sure, Piper. Not a problem," he agreed quickly, noticing what he assumed she meant to hide. "Let's just finish these dishes up and get to P3. Quake was great; I can't wait to see this nightclub you have going," he grinned, changing the subject.

Piper returned his smile gratefully and finished up the dishes so they could get to the club before everyone else they were meeting there.


	4. Chapter 4

Piper parked in her spot at P3 and got out of her car. Seeing Leo do the same and begin to head toward the main entrance, she placed a hand on his arm to stop him. "No, we'll go in the back way," she told him with a smile. "One of the benefits of coming with the owner is being able to skip the line and dealing with the people waiting. Trust me, they get pretty pissed when people get to walk right in," she added, heading around to the side to go in a door marked 'Employees Only.'

Once inside, they headed from the back, past a door and stopped at another door that led to the main part. "Wow…" Leo said amazed, hearing the music and watching the packed main room through the opening in the door.

"Yeah, just let me drop off my stuff in my office, and I'll take you over to the VIP section," Piper said with a smile, disappearing behind the previous door they had passed and then reappearing a few minutes later without her purse. "Ok, you ready?" she asked him.

"Yeah…Piper this place looks great," Leo smiled.

"Thanks. Here, you better hold my hand so you don't lose me in all the people out there," she told him, gently slipping her hand into his and pushing through the door. They were greeted with louder music as Piper expertly weaved through the dancing people to a booth in a corner of the club with a great view of the stage for when she had a band. Leo stuck close as he held her hand and followed her until Piper stopped at the booth where 2 women who resembled Piper somewhat were sitting.

"Wow, Piper; who's the hottie?" Phoebe grinned when she saw her sister with Leo.

Piper smiled, and kept her right hand in Leo's left one. "Down girl," she said quickly. "Guys, this is Leo; he's moving into the penthouse across from mine. Leo, this girl with the overactive hormones is my little sister Phoebe," she added.

Leo blushed slightly at Phoebe's greeting, but shook her hand. "Nice to meet you."

"This is my older sister Prue and her husband Andy," Piper said, finishing the introductions.

Prue eyed the still joined hands of Piper and Leo somewhat suspiciously. "So Leo, what do you do?" she asked him, going into protective big sister mode.

Leo looked at Piper a little nervously. She had only warned him about everyone thinking they were on a date; she hadn't said anything about having a pit-bull for an older sister. (AN: I say that with love cause I'm a big Prue fan!) "Um…well…I'm…I'm a doctor," he answered trying to make himself calm down.

"A doctor? Really?" she said a little disapprovingly.

"Prue, lay off him; he's not my date or boyfriend or any of that stuff, so chill out. I'm just trying to make him comfortable for the evening is all. Be nice," Piper told them all, but directed it more at Prue than anyone else. "Leo, what are you having?" she asked, turning to him then.

"Uh, just anything," he replied. "Wait, I'll get the drinks, you just stay here," he quickly said, not wanting to be left alone with the group; he had a feeling that's what they all wanted.

"Leo, sit," Piper told him simply. "How's beer? You have a preference?" she asked him.

"No, whatever you're having is fine," Leo replied, resigning himself to do her wishes and taking a seat on the edge of the extra large booth as Piper smiled and headed off toward the bar.

"So you're a doctor," Prue said again once Piper had gone. "The last doctor my sister spent anytime with was an egotistical, cheating bastard. You can understand if I'm not exactly fond of your chosen profession," she said a bit bitterly. "I'm warning you now: you hurt her, I'll kill you. And my husband is a cop, so I won't do any time," she added coldly before taking a sip of her own drink.

"Good to know, but like she said; I'm not dating her. She just took pity on me because I just moved here. That's all this is, I promise," Leo explained to her.

"Sure didn't look like pity from where I'm sitting," Phoebe piped in then. "You were holding hands the entire time. You look awful friendly for just being neighbors."

"What are you talking about? Look, I like and admire your sister and friend, don't get me wrong. But I'm not dating her," Leo insisted, wishing Piper would hurry up. He seriously doubted they'd continue to give him the third degree with Piper there. Well, Prue might, but he hoped the rest would back down.

"Look, Leo; we're not trying to be mean to you or single you out. We're just trying to watch out for Piper is all. Beneath the independent, tough, sometimes hard as nails exterior, she's a sweetheart and vulnerable woman who's been through a rough time. We just don't want her getting hurt anymore is all," Phoebe told him after a moment. "Don't take it too personally."

Piper came back then with two beers and handed one to Leo. Seeing Leo stand then, she slid into the booth next to Prue and lightly touched his arm, signaling for him to sit back down beside her. Sensing the tension between everyone else and Leo, she sighed. "Guys, I told you. Leo is my new neighbor. This is not a date. Now be nice."

"We're always nice," Prue answered her sister's accusation simply.

Seeing Piper raise her eyebrows, Andy picked up on the cue that she was about to need a sister conversation. Knowing better than anyone not to get in the middle of a "friendly" sister chat, Andy stood. "Come on, Leo. How about you help me get some drink refills," he said, offering to get Leo out of the situation some. "First rule about being friends with any of the sisters…don't be around for their sister talks and never try to come between them," he informed Leo as they headed for the bar.

Piper looked at her sisters. "I know what you're thinking. And I'm not dating him," she insisted. "I just got my divorce finalized. I'm not looking for a relationship of any kind."

"I was looking for you at Quake earlier. Casey said you guys had dinner together…at your place…and you cooked for him. Sounds like a date to me," Prue reasoned.

"I didn't cook for him…not alone anyways. He helped…sort of. It was more of me giving him a cooking lesson because he can't cook, and I was running late. That doesn't mean it's a date either. I felt bad for the guy; he's been living off take out in a hotel room for at least a week. I thought I'd be a good neighbor and welcome him to the neighborhood," Piper explained.

"Pity sex for him, celebratory sex for you?" Phoebe teased her sister.

"Phoebe! I'm not having sex with him. Why are we even having this conversation? I said I'm not dating him, shouldn't that be enough for you? And even if I were dating him, wouldn't that make you guys happy? You've been trying to get me to date a guy for the past year," Piper reminded them.

"Yeah, guys we know won't hurt you, not new doctors who could turn out to be just like Riley," Prue told her calmly. "We're just trying to look out for you, Sweetie. That's all, I promise. Why are you so insistent that this isn't a date anyway?"

"Because it's not, that's why. I just got my independence back, and I'm putting the past 5 years of my life behind me. I'm not ready to date again," Piper told them softly. "I'm just being nice."

"Nice is giving a guy directions, nice is lending a neighbor a cup of sugar; cooking dinner for a guy you just met, giving him lunch on the house at your restaurant, and bringing him to your nightclub in a very date atmosphere is a little more than being nice," Phoebe said with a smile. "Besides, Casey told us how you two were flirting at Quake, and we all saw you guys come in together holding hands."

"Lunch was because I was pretty snippy with him this morning when we first met, dinner was because he's a nice guy and I felt bad he's stuck in a hotel room with takeout, and bringing him here was so he could meet some people besides his real estate agent and the hospital workers. I may have been flirting with him at Quake, but it was just friendly flirty banter, not all out flirting, and I was only holding his hand because otherwise he'd lose me in the crowd; I'm a very short person you know. Yes he's a nice guy, and he's attractive and charming, but that does not mean I'm ready to make him my boyfriend. Now please be nice to him. He's nothing like Riley. Besides, we're here to celebrate me being completely free from him, not to be mean to my new neighbor."

"You new neighbor that you want to get all hot and sweaty with…" Phoebe said lowly in a teasing voice, flashing her sister an innocent smile.

"Phoebe, I told you. I don't want to sleep with him. Why is everything about sex with you?" Piper asked her.

"Because, sex is important, and you haven't had any in almost two years. I'm worried about you, I'm your sister," she answered with a grin. "Besides, can you honestly say you haven't thought about it? He's a hot man, Piper, and you are a sex deprived woman…I know the thought crossed your mind at least once," she added.

Piper sighed. "Maybe slightly, and very very quick in passing," she finally admitted. "That doesn't mean this is a date, though. It just means that he is a handsome man; a date is where you go in expecting it to end with sex, or at the very least a kiss. I know there is going to be no sex or kissing tonight. Besides, I'm sure a lot of women wonder what it would be like."

"Oh, so you wondered what it would be like to be with him," Prue smiled, joining in on the teasing. "That's more than a small fleeting thought of sleeping with him. Why are you in such denial? It's not healthy."

"This coming from you? Please, Prue, you're the queen of denial," Piper shot back to her sister. "You, Andy, and your lack of a relationship during and soon after college," she added after seeing her sister's look.

"You know, you want to use that, you'll end up married to Leo like me and Andy," Prue retorted. "Look, you like the guy. That's ok, honey. For what it's worth…I don't think Leo's going to be quite the jerk Riley was. And he seems like he's into you. You need to get back in the dating game, Piper. Don't let Riley be the reason you're single forever; you do that, you're still letting him have control over you."

Piper sighed. "I'm not going to be single forever. I'd just like to know a guy longer than a day before I call any time together a date. Please understand that and don't push me. I'll date when I'm ready. Just let me celebrate my independence tonight."

They didn't have a chance to talk anymore, as Andy and Leo came back with drink refills for everyone except Piper and Leo, since they had just gotten there.

"To being free from my cheating, asshole ex-husband," Piper grinned, raising her beer. Her sisters and friends echoed this and clinked their glasses with hers. "I am officially free and independent and all the good stuff that goes with it," she added after taking a drink of her beer. "Come on Leo, let's dance," she said quickly, anxious to get away from the watchful and slightly pitying eyes of her sisters.

"Uh, Piper…I'm not much of a dancer…" Leo tried to get out of it, only to get pushed off the bench by Piper.

"Come on, Leo. It's just some fun," she smiled, taking his hand and literally pulling him to the dance floor. By the time she finally got him there through his resisting, the fast song was over and the DJ had a slower song starting. This was almost enough to make Piper rethink the whole dancing idea, but she was away from her sisters and it had taken a lot of work to get Leo out there, so she decided to just go with it and stepped into his arms. "See, you lucked up; everyone can slow dance," she grinned at Leo.

"Yeah, I guess," he said softly, putting his arms around her. "Thanks for inviting me tonight, Piper. It was really sweet of you," he added in the same soft voice.

Piper rested her hands just below his shoulders at the top of his chest. "You're welcome," she smiled. "Thank you for having dinner with me. I really hate eating alone sometimes," she added, her voice getting quiet again.

"Like tonight?" he asked cautiously, realizing she wasn't quite as happy and okay with her divorce as she was trying to lead people to believe.

"Yeah," she whispered, quickly blinking the tears out of her eyes. "Sorry if my sisters gave you the third degree while I was gone. They tend to get really protective of me sometimes. It's annoying…but I'm the same way about them, so I can't say too much. But I am sorry if they offended you or anything."

"No, it's fine," he assured her. "They care about you. Once they realized I'm not a threat to you, they backed down," he smiled. "But for the record…I'm still a little terrified of Prue. She's like a pit-bull."

Piper laughed softly and shook her head. "I like to think of her more like a Doberman," she smiled, moving closer to him and resting her head on his shoulder.

Leo held her closer and silently cursed himself as he caught himself smelling the pleasant aroma of her hair coupled with her perfume. _This is not what she needs right now. She just got out of a marriage, the last thing she needs is me smelling her hair. _He closed his eyes and tried to calm himself down, only reopening them once she pulled back, and he realized the slow song had ended.

"Come on, let's go back and sit down before my sisters get the wrong idea," Piper grinned, leading him back over to their special VIP booth and sliding back in beside Prue.

The group shared small talk and a few more drinks before Leo glanced at his watch and realized that several hours had passed, and it was getting late. "Well, it was nice meeting you all, but I have to get going. I have an early day at the hospital tomorrow," he stood.

"Are you sure?" Piper asked, sad to see him go. Seeing him nod, she stood as well. "I'll walk you out then." She took his hand and led him to the same back door they used to come in.

Prue and Phoebe just watched them walk away, sharing a knowing glance. "Yeah, she's falling for him alright. I say we'll be hearing about him nonstop tomorrow," Prue said knowingly, her words followed by the agreement of everyone else there.

Piper smiled a little once they were outside at his car. "Thanks for coming tonight, Leo. I enjoyed your company."

"Thank you for inviting me. I had a lot of fun," he smiled back, leaning against his car slightly. "You know, if this were a date, this is when I'd kiss you goodnight. But since it's not, I guess I'll see you around," he added quietly.

"Yeah, I guess I'll see you around then," she told him just as quietly. "Maybe we can do it again…hang out, I mean. We are neighbors," she added, realizing how stupid and childish that probably sounded only after she said it and couldn't take it back.

"Yeah…" he trailed off softly, letting his eyes wander over her one last time, catching himself as he wondered what it would be like to kiss her. "Thanks for a great night, Piper," he added, kissing her cheek softly before getting into his car. He watched her go back inside before pulling out of the parking lot and heading back to his boring hotel room, knowing he would definitely see her again.


	5. Chapter 5

A week later, Leo stood outside of Piper's penthouse in beige khakis and a forest green, long sleeved shirt. He had made sure he looked nice because he wanted to impress her, but not too nice because he didn't want to scare her or make her think he was pushing for anything besides friendship. His plan was to just spend time with her again; she had been on his mind since the day they met, and no matter what he'd tried, he couldn't stop thinking about her. He finally took a deep breath and knocked on the door lightly, figuring she was home since her car was parked out front. He stuck his hands in his pockets, a sign of his nervousness, and waited as patiently as possible, hoping she'd agree to an evening with him.

He grinned as he saw the door start to open, but his mouth dropped open in surprise when he saw Piper in faded jeans and a grey t-shirt with a 6 month old baby girl in her arms and a 7 year old little boy with dark hair and blue eyes standing behind her, his head poked out curiously to the side so he could see the visitor as well. "You have kids?" he asked, his voice showing his surprise even more than his facial expressions.

Piper laughed softly and shook her head. "They aren't mine. But it's so nice to know this is how you would react if I did have them," she said sarcastically, slightly taken aback by his reaction to the kids.

Leo sighed and ran a hand through his hair, mentally kicking himself for his comment coming out like it had. _Great, she probably thinks I'm some jerk now._ "No…that's not what I meant. I was just surprised is all. I mean, I didn't see them when I was here yesterday, and you mentioned your ex husband was in New York…I should probably just shut up now before I put anymore of my foot in my mouth." This was not going how he'd planned at all.

Piper offered him a little smile. "I'm just babysitting. Prue and Andy had dinner plans, and their sitter cancelled at the last minute…and since I didn't have anything to do on this lovely Saturday evening, I volunteered to have them keep me company," she explained.

"I see," Leo said quietly. _So much for an evening alone with her again._ He was shaken out of his thoughts by her asking what he was doing there. "Oh, right. Well I remembered how you said you didn't like to eat dinner alone all the time, and I didn't have any plans for this evening..." he started.

"So you came to see if I wanted to have some company for dinner again," she finished his sentence with a smirk.

"Sort of. I came to ask if you wanted to grab dinner out somewhere as my way to repay you for dinner last week, but I can see this is a bad time. I would have called first, but I don't have your number. I'm sorry, I should go," he sighed, turning to leave then.

Piper looked down at the little boy who was looking after Leo curiously. "Well, you came all this way looking for company. As long as you don't mind spending time with kids, then you are welcome to join us," she offered, flashing him one of her dazzling smiles.

"I don't know…I don't want to intrude, Piper. I really shouldn't have just shown up here like this," he said, turning around.

"You wouldn't be intruding. Do you not like kids or something, Leo?" she asked. _Looks like I found his major flaw._

Leo smiled a little. "It's not that. I like kids…you're sure you don't mind me staying?"

"I wouldn't have said you could stay if I did," she told him softly. "Come on in. We haven't had dinner yet, so you're just in time," she added, moving out of the doorway so he could come inside. Once he had, she shut the door with her free hand.

"So who is this adorable little girl you've got?" Leo asked her, moving closer to them and gently rubbing the baby's hand.

"This is Sydney; she's 6 months old," Piper told him.

Leo smiled and knelt down to be eye level with the little boy. "I'm Leo. What's your name?" he asked him, extending his hand.

"My name's Michael," the boy answered in a little voice, reaching out and taking Leo's hand. "You're Leo? Mommy says Aunt Piper has a thing for you. What does that mean?" he asked curiously.

Piper's eyes widened and she blushed a little at that. "It means your Mommy doesn't listen to me very well," she said quickly.

Leo just smiled and looked up to Piper for a minute before looking back to the boy. "It means that your mommy thinks your Aunt Piper has a crush on me. What do you think?" he asked him.

Michael looked between Leo and Piper and back to Leo. "I don't know," the boy shrugged. "She smiled when she saw you, so I guess she likes you. And she talked about you a lot to Mommy earlier."

Leo raised his eyebrows, slightly amused as he looked up to Piper. "Oh really? What did she say?" he asked.

Michael shrugged. "That you were hot. But you don't look like you're hot. Maybe she was just being silly."

Piper's cheeks were now beet red with embarrassment. "Michael, I think that's enough. Why don't we go into the kitchen and you can decide what we have for dinner?" she suggested, trying to do anything to get him talking about anything but her and Leo and their relationship, or lack thereof.

Leo smiled and stood back up to his full height. "Come on, Michael. I'm kinda hungry, how about you?" he asked. "Tell you what…you pick out what restaurant you like the best, and we'll order takeout," he suggested. "Completely on me," he added with a look to Piper.

"You don't have to Leo. If you want to pay me back for cooking you dinner last week, which I still say you don't have to do, you can do it when I don't have the little rugrats with me," she told him, playfully ruffling Michael's hair.

Leo shook his head with a smile. "It's fine. Besides, I don't think Sydney will be eating anything but what her parents left, and Michael's just a little guy. Come on, Piper…don't fight me on this. I'm not taking 'no' for an answer, either."

Piper sighed. "Ok, ok, I give. You win. Go ahead Michael, pick your takeout," she told him, taking his hand in her free one and leading him into the kitchen, helping him get settled in a chair as well as she could then as well. "You've pretty much got a choice of Chinese and pizza, kiddo."

"Pizza!" Michael said excitedly. "Pizza with cheese only. It's better that way," he insisted.

"Alright, little guy. Cheese pizza it is then," Leo grinned, sitting down beside him at the table and taking out his cell phone to call the pizza place he had on speed dial, which only caused Piper to roll her eyes and hide a smile.

Several hours later, Piper had managed to get Sydney to sleep, and Leo had finally tired Michael out enough that he had just fallen asleep in the recliner. Piper got up and carefully placed Sydney in the small playpen Prue had brought over and then moved over to where Leo was stretched out on the floor on his stomach. "Let's get you to the couch," she said with a smile, squatting down beside him and rubbing his back a little. "It's much more comfortable than my floor, and I'm less likely to fall over you there."

Leo grunted a little, but did a perfect push up and stood at the same time as Piper. He walked over to her couch and plopped down on one end with a smile.

"What are you smiling at?" she asked, sitting down on the other end and stretching her legs out over the rest of the couch, causing her feet to touch his legs.

"I just haven't had that much fun since I can remember," he laughed softly, grabbing her feet playfully and pulling them into his lap, causing her to slide down from her end so she was lying on her back. He gave her another playful look before he started tickling her feet.

"Leo…Leo stop…please…come on now, I'm ticklish…" she managed to get out between her laughter as she squirmed to get her feet away. "Leo…Leo…that's not very nice…"

Leo just grinned. "Well, that's the idea," he laughed with her and finally stopped tickling her feet.

"Thank you," she said and stopped laughing only to start again moments later when he moved closer to her quickly and began tickling the sides of her waist. "Leo…Leo…you're going to make me wake Michael…and then…then you're going to have to tire him out all over again…" she tried reasoning with him to get him to stop; she was also trying desperately to grab his hands and squirm away.

Leo kept tickling her and moving closer until he finally realized she was flat on her back and completely underneath him. He stopped tickling her and found himself getting lost in her dark brown eyes as he supported his weight on his hands that were on either side of her on the couch.

Piper stopped laughing and looked up at him, realizing for the first time just how gorgeous his eyes really were. He wanted to kiss her; she could see that in his eyes, just as she could see that he was searching for some kind of sign on her face that it would be ok to do so. Honestly, she was torn between what her body wanted and what her head wanted.

Finally not being able to hold back anymore, Leo slowly leaned down—as if to give her time to stop him or pull away if she wanted—and kissed her. He kept the kiss soft at first, waiting to see her reaction before he did anything else. Feeling her fingers lightly running up his arms was all the reaction he needed to deepen the kiss a little more. After only a few seconds he wanted even more and lightly ran his tongue across her lips, his silent request for admittance.

She seemed to think it over for a moment before parting her lips slightly and granting his request, a soft moan escaping her lips as his tongue found hers. She wanted more as well, and playfully chased his tongue around as she moved her fingers up into his hair, smiling against his lips when she got the desired groan from him she was after.

They continued kissing for what seemed like forever to her, but in reality was only minutes, before he realized just how much fire he was playing with and pulled away. "Piper…I'm sorry…I shouldn't have…" he trailed off, immediately trying to apologize for what he felt was taking advantage of her and the situation.

Piper shook her head with a smile and placed a finger to his lips. "You don't have to apologize. In case you didn't notice, I kissed you back," she said softly.

Leo gave a soft chuckle as he remained hovering over her. "Yeah…believe me, I noticed," he assured her. "It's getting late…I should get going," he added after a few seconds and finally forced himself to sit back up away from her. "Wouldn't want your sister to come after her kids and find you had a guest over when you were supposed to be babysitting," he smiled.

"Trust me; she won't say a word about it. She's just happy she didn't have to cancel her evening with Andy. Don't go on her account," she told him softly, sitting up as well.

"It's not just her. I really do need to get back to my hotel room so I can finish packing my stuff up. I'm going to move all of the stuff in my hotel room into the penthouse tomorrow, and I have stuff everywhere there," he told her, standing up and stretching. _Not to mention if I stay here any longer I'm going to be even more tempted to do more than just kiss you._

"Whatever you say," Piper said, standing as well. "Thanks for dinner…and for getting Michael to sleep. He really likes you, which is kind of weird. He doesn't like anybody new usually. He's a shy kid, and it takes him awhile to warm up to people…but he took right to you," she added as she walked him to the door.

"Well thank you for letting me stay, especially after my initial reaction at the door," Leo smiled.

Piper shook her head. "It's fine; the reaction was purely from surprise. I understand it completely. Hey, if you need any help tomorrow, I'm free until the afternoon," she offered, opening her door. "Just call me."

"I don't have your number," he reminded her.

Piper just grinned. "Yes you do. I programmed it into your phone while you were busy playing with Michael," she confessed. "After all, I couldn't just have you keep showing up here unannounced and all," she teased him.

Leo rolled his eyes, giving her his own grin. "Whatever, Piper," he said, starting out of the door then.

"Leo…" she said softly, causing him to stop and turn around. "I had a really good time tonight with you. Not many guys I know would have hung around after seeing two little kids with me, even though they aren't mine. You're a sweet guy," she continued in the same soft tone.

"It was my pleasure. I had a really good time with you too," he told her with a smile, closing the distance between them once more as he placed a gentle kiss on her lips. "Bye Piper. I'll see you tomorrow," he said as he pulled away and headed for the elevator then.

"Bye." Piper silently watched him for a few seconds before shutting the door and leaning her head against it with a smile on her lips. _That man is definitely something else._


	6. Chapter 6

Piper noticed a strange arm around her. Turning over she saw Leo's bare chest, slightly rising and falling as he breathed. She smiled and moved closer to him, trailing soft kisses up his chest to his lips and realized he was awake when he grabbed her hips gently and pulled her closer, running his hand down her thigh slowly. She pulled back slightly and grinned before moving on top to straddle him, then leaned down and resumed kissing his lips and down his chin and jaw to his neck.

"Didn't you get enough last night?" he asked in a low voice, nipping her ear slightly.

Piper just grinned. "I haven't had sex in two years...what do you think?"

"Well, by all means...I aim to please the lady," Leo replied, more than eager to let her take what she wanted from him, which she happily began to do, picking up from where they left off when they both fell asleep from exhaustion.

Suddenly there was a pounding on her door. "Mmm…go away…" she mumbled between kisses. The pounding only continued, causing Piper's dream to slowly fade away as it woke her up completely. She turned over only to see her clock, which read 8:02, and realized she was alone and had simply been dreaming. Finally realizing someone was at her front door, she pushed herself out of bed and padded out of her room. "Whoever the hell is here at 8 in the freaking morning better have one hell of an explanation for interrupting my…Leo…hi…" she said, changing her mood instantly once she opened the door and saw who had interrupted her perfect dream.

Leo's smiled as he took in her small form still in her pajamas. "Sorry…I woke you up," he said softly. "I just thought maybe you'd like breakfast," he offered, holding a brown bag and a drink tray with two cups of coffee in it.

"Yeah, sure…it's fine…come in…" she managed, stumbling over her words, which she only did because one, it was so early in the morning; and two, because she couldn't help but notice how good he looked in his old, faded, slightly ripped in some places jeans and open button down shirt with a wifebeater shirt underneath.

"I'm really sorry, I didn't realize you would still be asleep; I should have called first," he apologized again as he started for the kitchen with her behind him.

"Yeah, you say that a lot," she teased him slightly. "It's fine really. I didn't get to bed until after Prue and Andy came for the kids last night, and that wasn't until almost two."

"Oh…I'm sorry, I really should have called," he said again, sitting at her table.

"Stop apologizing, I told you it was fine," she smiled. "So today's the big moving day, huh?"

"Yeah…well…if you can call it that. I've got boxes of my stuff down in my car, I just have to bring them up. I'm glad the penthouse came fully furnished so I don't have to deal with getting furniture up here," he told her as he pulled out the bagels he had gotten for them.

"So tell me; once you get all moved in and settled, can I still expect the early morning wake up bangings on my door?" she asked, an amused smirk on her lips.

Leo shook his head and laughed. "Well, that all depends," he smiled.

"Oh? That all depends on what exactly?"

Leo just continued to smile. "Stuff," he told her simply.

"Stuff?" she questioned. "What kind of stuff?"

"Stuff…like…if I can expect to see you answer your door in your pajamas every morning. It's kind of cute, you know," he teased her.

"Of course I answered the door in my pajamas…it's 8 in the morning," she told him, blushing slightly at his earlier comment.

"Actually, it's 8:18," he grinned, checking his watch and correcting her. "The day's half over," he added playfully.

Piper just narrowed her eyes and smacked him lightly. "Smartass," she shook her head.

"Oh, the lady's not a morning person I see. Well, I'll just have to work on that."

"I'll have you know that I am perfectly a morning person…just not until after my coffee," she informed him, taking a cup from the drink tray and sipping it. "I was perfectly hospitable when I answered the door the other morning and let you use my phone. Besides, this is a Sunday morning…Sunday mornings are meant to be spent staying in bed late; and I was having a really good dream." _A really, really good dream about doing very, very naughty things to you._

"Oh, is that so? What kind of a really good dream?" he asked curiously.

"Nothing special. Just a really, really good dream."

"I see. Now would that be a really, really good sex dream? After all, those are the best kinds." Seeing her blush, he smiled knowing the truth then. "And who was this oh so great sex partner?"

"That is classified information," she smiled smugly, knowing there was no way in hell she was admitting to him that she'd had a sex dream about him. She took her cup of coffee and leaned against the counter nearest the table.

"And what exactly would one have to do in order to get this classified information?" he asked. "I mean, after all…it is a very lucky man who gets to be in your dreams. I think it's only fair he be informed of his great fortune."

"Oh, you do, do you?" she smirked. "Well then I think it's only fair to tell you that he was definitely not you," she laughed softly. "I know that what you and your male ego would like to think, but I'm sorry. My dream man just wasn't you."

"Me thinks she protests too much," he sent back quickly. "Just admit you were dreaming of me. It's really not that hard."

Piper shook her head and took another sip of her coffee. "You men are all the same. You think you're God's gift to women."

Leo got up with a smile and moved over in front of her. "I am God's gift to women," he said playfully, putting one hand on either side of her and leaning in closer to her, trapping her in place.

Piper's breath caught in her throat as she found herself staring up into his eyes. "Actually…I don't think you are," she said softly after a moment, setting her coffee on the counter behind her.

Leo leaned in closer as if he were about to kiss her, but stopped his lips a couple inches from hers. "I think I am," he whispered with a grin before moving the rest of distance between them and kissing her. He slowly moved one hand to her hip and rubbed it lightly before sliding his hand around to the small of her back, quickly and firmly pulling her against him.

She gasped slightly and broke the kiss for a moment, studying his face before slowly moving her hands up his chest to rest on his shoulders. Her eyebrows rose slightly as he pulled her closer to him with one hand and used his other hand to brace himself against the counter and push himself against her as well. She couldn't stifle the soft moan as he moved his hips against hers, and she found herself moving her hands up into his hair as she initiated a deep kiss, her tongue forcefully pushing past his lips and exploring his mouth. Phoebe had been right in saying she had needs. Piper had a lot of needs, two years worth, and Leo pressing up against her before she'd had a chance to rationalize away the dream she'd had about him was definitely adding to the sexual frustration she felt and needed badly to release.

Leo finally pulled away and released her with a triumphant smile on his face. "Told you so," he said moving back over to sit down at the table, leaving a very bewildered Piper standing against the counter.

"Um…I…I need to go get dressed…" she mumbled, pushing herself away from the counter and heading out of the kitchen in somewhat of a daze. Hearing the phone ring, she continued to her room. "Leo, can you get that please?" she called over her shoulder.

"Sure, not a problem," he assured her, picking up the phone. After hearing who it was and what she wanted, Leo hung up and went to Piper's bedroom, gently knocking on the door and waiting for her answer before poking his head inside. "Um…that was Casey at Quake. Apparently there's some sort of emergency, and she needs you there. Something about approving and signing some sort of something or other for the pipes," he told her.

Piper sighed and finished buttoning up her shirt. "Well then, I guess I have to go in," she said, silently sending a prayer of thanks to whatever happened that caused Casey to call since it now meant she didn't have to deal with Leo and what happened in the kitchen. Busted pipes or whatever else was at Quake she could handle; what she was feeling for Leo, she wasn't so sure about.

"Yeah…yeah, I guess so," he said a bit disappointed.

"Oh, Leo…don't look so disappointed," she smiled, stepping into her shoes and heading out of the bedroom then. "Now you get to move in without me being in the way. Besides, you only live across the hall. You'll see me around."

"You wouldn't be in the way," he assured her with a small smile.

"Are you kidding me? Of course I'd be in the way. I'd just end up sitting around on your couch and watch you do all the heavy lifting," she told him, grabbing her bagel, coffee, and keys. "Thank you for breakfast. Sorry I have to eat it on the run," she added, kissing his cheek softly. "Feel free to sit here in my kitchen and finish your breakfast, just lock up for me when you leave. The hide-a-key is under the fire extinguisher in the hallway."

Leo took a deep breath and ran a hand through his hair. "Piper, wait…would you like to maybe go out with me?"

Piper froze and turned around. "Go out with you? Like…like a date?"

"Yeah."

"You mean…like…a date, date?" she asked again.

Leo chuckled softly. "Yeah. A date, date. You know, we go out, I buy you dinner…we do something fun…"

"Yeah…I know what a date is, Leo. I just…you're asking me out on one. Um…sure, why not," she smiled. "Tonight?" she asked.

"Uh…no…sorry, I have the night shift tonight," he apologized. "Tomorrow night though?" he suggested.

"Tomorrow night…sure…um, I have to go…Quake…the pipes…" she trailed off, not moving yet.

"Yeah. Bye," he grinned.

"Bye," she said softly, turning and quickly heading out of the door then.

Several hours later at Quake, Piper was sitting at the bar working on paperwork while Phoebe sat beside her, grilling her about Leo. "So then you're going out with him tonight?" Phoebe asked excitedly.

"I am, but not tonight. He has to work the night shift tonight," Piper explained. "We're going out tomorrow."

"Oh, and you just so happen to know when he's working now, huh?" Phoebe teased her.

"No…" Piper said, giving her a look, knowing exactly what Phoebe was getting at. "He told me this morning before I left my place."

"Woah, what?! He told you this morning as in before you two left your bed, this morning?"

Piper shook her head quickly. "No, Phoebe…I'm not sleeping with him."

"Yet…" Phoebe trailed off with a grin. Seeing Piper's look, Phoebe sighed. "Aw, come on Piper. You obviously like the guy…he obviously likes you…you're two attractive people, why are you trying to deny the attraction?"

"Because when he kissed me I felt things I swore I'd never feel again, that's why," Piper admitted.

"Woah…you guys kissed? Wait, that's not important at the moment. I mean it is, but the most important thing right now is convincing you that the things you feel are perfectly normal, natural urges. Honey, you can't close yourself off to love just because you got burned last time. Life without love is miserable," Phoebe explained. "So you feel things for him?" she smiled.

"Yes, Phoebe…I feel things for him. I just don't want this to end up like the last time is all."

"Yeah, but Sweetie…you can't just give up. You owe it to yourself to try. Leo hasn't done anything wrong yet. Just go with it and see what happens. I really don't think Leo wants to hurt you," Phoebe assured her.

Piper took a deep breath. "Ok, I guess you're right. I'll give Leo a chance, if for no other reason than to get you off my back about it."

"Good girl," Phoebe grinned. "Now I have to go. I have a late lunch date. Bye Sweetie. If I don't get a chance to talk to you tomorrow, have fun with Leo. Don't do anything I wouldn't do," she said, kissing her sister's cheek quickly and running out of the restaurant.

Piper shook her head with a small smile and went back to her paperwork silently, her thoughts straying to Leo, her dream, and what it would really be like if it were to really happen.


	7. Chapter 7

**AN: Thank you to all of you who have read and reviewed the story thus far. I know when I originally had it posted, I had 89 reviews for the 6 chapters, and now I have almost 300 hits with 7 reviews. I'm relieved that people are still interested in this story after a couple years. Here is the next chapter, I hope you all like it. As always, the same disclaimer applies.**

The following evening Piper left Quake early to get ready for her date with Leo. She honestly hadn't planned on leaving as early as she did, but she was so jittery and spaced out during the day that she was driving her entire staff crazy, so she mostly left to give them a little peace.

Once she had arrived home, she took a long, hot bath in the hopes that it would help calm her nerves some. It had been years since she'd been out on a date with someone who had actually asked her out instead of being set up with her through Prue or Phoebe. She tried to tell herself that it was nothing but dinner and maybe a movie, that this meant nothing, that she wasn't ready for a relationship, but she also knew that she really did like Leo and didn't want to screw anything up in case she decided she was ready for something soon. Besides, she had promised Phoebe she'd give him a chance, and if there was ever a guy to take a chance on, Piper felt confident Leo was that man.

After her bath, she did feel a bit calmer...at least until she went to her closet to get dressed. She suddenly realized she had no idea what on earth to wear since she had no idea just what kind of an evening he was planning. She didn't want to wear something that was going to send him mixed signals, either. She finally settled on a simple, yet still elegant black dress with spaghetti straps that stopped just above her knees. It had a low front, an even lower back, and hugged her curves perfectly.

She heard a knock on the door just as she was finishing up her makeup and quickly pulled her hair back as she slipped into her shoes and went to open the door. Piper felt the butterflies return ten-fold to her stomach when she saw Leo standing on the other side of her door in khaki dress pants, a light blue shirt and a navy blue sports coat.

"Hi," he greeted, almost shyly.

"Hi," she echoed his words, stepping aside so he could come in.

"You look beautiful tonight," he added, the butterflies in his own stomach making themselves known as he leaned in to kiss her cheek before handing her the single red rose he'd brought her.

"Thank you," she blushed at his compliment, carefully taking the rose from him. "I'm not quite ready yet," she said, disappearing back into her bedroom. Piper returned a few moments later carrying her necklace and small purse while putting in her earrings.

"Here, let me," he offered, gently taking the necklace from her and moving to stand behind her. Leo had to bite the inside of his lip and force himself to concentrate on fastening her necklace for her; the scent of her perfume coupled with the sight of her in that dress was more than enough to make both his mind and eyes wander. It took him a few moments to fasten the necklace thanks to the nerves making him fumble more with his hands than he should have.

"Thank you," she said once again after he'd finished with her necklace. "So where are we going for dinner?" Piper asked curiously.

Leo smiled and placed his hand at the small of her back to lead her out, feeling a shock when his hand touched her bare skin. "Is Italian ok? I know of this pretty nice place...but if you aren't big on Italian, we can always go somewhere else. After all, I'm sure you know the city's cuisine better than I do. What am I saying, of course you know the restaurants in town better than me; not only have you lived her the last ten years, but you have your own place. It only makes sense you'd keep tabs on your competition..." he rambled on nervously. _Great, now she's going to think I'm a bumbling idiot._

Piper giggled softly at his nervousness. It was nice to know she wasn't the only one who was a bundle of nerves that evening. "I love Italian," she assured him with a smile as she locked up behind her.

Once at the restaurant, Leo continued to be the perfect gentleman, holding the door and her chair for her. He also surprised Piper by turning out to be almost as knowledgeable about wine and good food as she was. "What? I just told you that I couldn't cook, not that I didn't know about good food," he told her with a smirk when she looked a little surprised. She wasn't a snob by any means, but she had been trained as a chef. Not many people knew their food and wine like she did.

After they had finished their food, Leo extended his hand to her. "Would you do me the honor of a dance or two?" he asked hopefully.

"I thought you didn't dance," Piper replied with a laugh as she took his hand and let him lead her to the dance floor.

"Anyone can slow dance," he repeated her words from the night she'd convinced him to dance at her club. Resting a hand lightly on her bare back, he took her hand and pulled her just close enough that their bodies were just touching.

Piper had to will herself to breathe with how close their bodies were. Not only that, but the heat from his touch on her skin sent her body temperature through the roof, and she hoped she was managing to hide that little fact. She also hoped he couldn't tell how tense she was. Sure he had pressed up against her with that searing kiss the morning he'd asked her out, but that had been a total shock without her really having time to react. Him holding her close now was completely different. She had time to think and analyze things, and all the thinking and analyzing made her even more nervous and tense. It had been a long time since she'd let a man get that close to her; the last time she had, he'd broken her heart.

Leo could tell she was nervous and only hoped he wasn't pushing her too far too fast. After all, she'd just gotten divorced, and although she hadn't really talked about her past relationship, her apprehensiveness made it clear she had been hurt by the man. It was only after a moment of thought that he realized he could be reading her completely wrong. She could be tense because she decided maybe she didn't really share the attraction for him that he had for her, and she was too polite to say anything to hurt him by ending the evening. All of think thinking on his part in turn made him more nervous and tense as well.

It wasn't until the second dance that Piper talked herself back down into believing it was just a little dinner and dancing, that it wasn't a marriage proposal and didn't mean much more than maybe he'd ask her out again. Feeling a little calmer, she relaxed a bit and leaned into his body more, resting her head on his shoulder, which made Leo relax a bit as well. To any onlooker, they looked very much like a couple in love who'd been together for years instead of a nervous couple on their first date.

They continued to dance way past the two dances Leo had originally asked for, and it wasn't until Piper realized the dance floor wasn't as full as it had been that she broke their hold. "See, I told you anyone can slow dance," she said softly with a smile.

Leo returned her smile, getting lost in her eyes. "It's easy when you're the woman I'm dancing with," he told her in the same soft voice. He had to fight the urge to pull her into a kiss, not wanting to scare her off by coming on too strong. "Are you ready to leave?" he asked politely, not wanting to force her to leave if she'd rather stay for another glass or wine or another dance.

"Okay, but only if you are as well," she answered as they headed back to their table where Leo paid the bill and left a generous tip.

Leo remained the perfect gentleman, insisting on walking her all the way to her door despite the fact that he only lived across the hall. He carefully pushed a strand of hair that had fallen behind her ear. It wasn't until he saw her look at his lips that he allowed himself to do what he'd wanted to do all evening. Gently he captured her lips with his in a very sweet kiss, making sure to let her be the one to set the pace.

"Thank you for dinner. It was an excellent choice," Piper said in a voice barely above a whisper, afraid if she spoke any louder she'd wake up to find this charming man in front of her was nothing more than a dream.

"No, it's me who should thank you. Thank you for agreeing to be my company for the evening. And for making me look good on the dance floor," he grinned, keeping his voice soft as well.

This time it was Piper who initiated the kiss, using the lapels of his sports coat to pull him into her just slightly. This caused Leo to support his weight with one hand against her door to keep from smashing her against it while he kept his other just above her hip to hold her to him. After a few moments she deepened the kiss, gently sliding her tongue past his lips. Instead of being forceful and demanding control like their two kisses before that night, this was much slower and more sensual. She didn't need to fight for control, she needed to let herself open up and love again.

Finally Leo had to break the kiss, or he knew he'd screw things up by wanting more than she was ready to offer him at that particular moment. "Goodnight Piper. I'll call you," he told her a bit breathlessly.

"Well seeing as how you say that a lot and always end up on my doorstep at ungodly morning hours banging my door down, I just hope you use your phone this time," she teased him with a smile.

Leo just laughed. "I promise it will be a phone call, not a house call," he assured her. "Goodnight Piper," he said again. 

"Goodnight," she replied back, entering her penthouse.

It wasn't until Leo heard her turn the lock and place the chain on the door that he moved from in front of her door into his own penthouse. "Damn Wyatt...you've got it bad," he said lowly to himself, realizing he'd already fallen for her...hard.

**AN: I hope you all enjoyed their first real date. I also ask that you take the time to submit a review. It doesn't have to be long, just a little note letting me know there are more than 7 people reading this. It really would make my day.**


	8. Chapter 8

**AN: Same disclaimer applies. Thanks to everyone who reviewed my last chapter. I'm sorry it took so long to update, but I got a bit busy with the start of the spring semester. Then I had it written and decided it was kinda crappy, so I had to rewrite it. I hope you like it. And as always, any reviews are greatly appreciated...and I promise I will try to update a little more quickly.**

The morning following her date with Leo, Piper was in an extraordinarily good mood. Her mood was further brightened by the vase of a dozen roses she found sitting in front of her door when she opened it to leave. She carried it inside and set it on the coffee table in front of her couch. Opening the card, she had to laugh slightly at what was written: "Told you I wouldn't bang your door down—Leo."

Piper arrived at Quake around 11 and was shocked when one of her employees informed her the dozen roses sitting on the bar were hers as well. The card read: "Last night was amazing; you were amazing. Hope you enjoyed it as much as I did—Leo." She had barely finished reading the card when a stock boy from her club came in with another vase of a dozen roses for her. "You have got to be kidding me," she said lowly, even more surprised that apparently Leo had decided she needed a small rose garden. The last card read: "If you don't have any plans this evening, maybe we can do it again. I'll call you this afternoon—Leo."

Piper had just placed the card back with the flowers when her sisters walked in together, having apparently thought it best to double team her when it came to getting details of her date with Leo. Piper tried her best to appear busy, which unfortunately for her did nothing to deter her sisters from asking their questions and making teasing comments.

"Well, look who put out last night," Phoebe stated, being the least classy of the sisters and of course just assuming Piper had slept with Leo since she was looking at 2 dozen roses.

Feeling her cheeks get hot with a blush, Piper kept her eyes focused on the paperwork she was pretending to do. "The only thing I put out last night was the trash," she defended herself.

"Oh yeah? Then how come you have two dozen roses? Pretty friendly trash guy," Phoebe countered, picking up one of the cards in her typical nosy fashion.

"Three dozen, actually," Piper corrected with a little smile. "There were a dozen in front of my door this morning as well," she added, another blush rising on her cheeks.

"Mmmhmm..." Phoebe trailed off, reading the card. "So you were amazing during a totally amazing night, huh? Still want to stick to your no sex story?" she asked, definitely not believing that one now.

"You have to admit, Piper, it does sound like you had sex...and you shouldn't be ashamed of it, you know. You're obviously attracted to the guy, he seems nice...and you haven't had any for a very long time. There's no shame in indulging your needs occasionally...as long as you indulge safely," Prue spoke up for the first time.

"I didn't have sex!" Piper exclaimed a bit louder than she intended, causing a few people to look at her funny. "I didn't have sex with him. He took me to a nice restaurant, we danced a little bit, he walked me to my place, then he went across the hall to his. That's it...no sex. I woke up completely alone this morning," she explained a little quieter as she began to get a bit defensive.

"You're an adult, you don't have to be in denial about it...unless it was bad. Oh, was he really that bad, honey?" Phoebe asked then, not backing off since she believed the evidence spoke for itself.

"No! I mean, I don't know how he is in bed since I've never been with him in bed. God, Phoebe, I'm not obsessed with sex like you seem to think," she said, beginning to get a bit upset then that she was continuing to be accused of something that never happened. "But for the record, if his kissing is any indication, there is no way he could ever be bad," she added after a few seconds, finally giving her sisters a little something they could chew on.

"So he kissed you, huh?" Prue asked with a smile, glad her sister was finally getting back on the dating horse after so long. She deserved so much better than her ex-husband.

Piper blushed again. "Well, it was technically a date...and it was very nice...and it's customary to kiss a guy when he's a good date..." she tried to explain.

"Oh, so then you kissed him," Phoebe teased her.

"No...well yes...I mean, he kissed me first. He's a true gentleman you know...very sweet and tender. He's not like most guys who when they kiss you automatically shove their tongue down your throat," Piper couldn't help but smile.

"So you didn't use tongue? You have a totally hot doctor who took you to a romantic dinner with dancing included, and you didn't even use a little tongue? Where did I go wrong?" Phoebe asked with a sigh.

"I didn't say that," Piper smiled almost mischievously.

"So you did tongue him! I knew I taught you well!" Phoebe exclaimed victoriously.

Piper and Prue both rolled their eyes at Phoebe's immaturity. "I didn't say that either. You didn't let me finish. He kissed me very gently and innocently; then he pulled away. Then I kissed him...yes, Phoebe, with tongue," she shook her head at her sister's contented look. "It was very...nice."

"Nice? Just nice? All that, and that's all we get? Nice?" Phoebe asked a bit exasperated.

Piper had to laugh. "It was more than nice. It was slow and sensual...special," she told her sisters softly with a smile before looking back at her paperwork again.

Phoebe and Prue exchanged knowing looks with smiles. Their sister was finally falling in love again. It was about time she genuinely smiled again.

"It's nice to see you happy with a guy again," Prue told Piper with a smile as she squeezed her shoulder. "You deserve to be happy and feel special."

"Prue's right. You're too much in love with love to not get your happy ending," Phoebe added.

Prue then spotted Leo entering the restaurant carrying yet another dozen of roses. "Speaking of that happy ending..."

Piper looked up and smiled when she saw Leo. "Leo, hi," she greeted him a bit shyly.

"Hi," he replied, handing her the roses.

"Thank you, but you really didn't have to bring me more flowers. One dozen was more than enough, but thank you. It's very sweet," she kissed his cheek.

"That's it? The man got you 4 dozen roses, and you just give him a dinky kiss on the cheek?" Phoebe interrupted.

Piper shot Phoebe a look that clearly told her to shut up. "Leo, you remember my sisters Prue and Phoebe. They were just leaving," she said, speaking the last part very pointedly to her sisters.

"Right...because we have...um...stuff to do while you two do...stuff," Prue smiled, grabbing Phoebe's arm. "Come on, Phoebe, let's go. Leave the two lovebirds alone," she added teasingly, laughing at Piper's attempt at an angry look as she headed off with Phoebe.

"I'm sorry about them. We're working on their subtlety," Piper apologized for her sisters. "But really, thank you so much for the roses. They are beautiful; you're going to spoil me."

"You deserve to be spoiled," Leo told her seriously, easily getting lost in the deep brown pools of her eyes. "Let me spoil you some more tonight?"

"I don't know...I thought you were going to call me," Piper said coyly.

This made Leo chuckle slightly. "I thought you might find it more difficult to turn me down in person than over the phone."

"Why would you think I'd turn you down?" she asked with a smile.

Leo shrugged. "Because a beautiful, smart woman like you will come to her senses eventually and realize you're too good for me. I'm just hoping I can delay that as long as possible," he answered charmingly.

"I would love to go out with you tonight, but I have the Goo Goo Dolls playing at my club tonight, and I have to be there on nights a band is playing," Piper told him apologetically. "But you can come with me if you want."

Leo grinned. "Only on one condition. You let me take you to dinner first. Nothing fancy, we can grab something quick on the way," he promised.

"I have a better idea. You could come over to my place, and I could cook dinner. You took me out last night...tonight it's my turn to provide dinner," she smiled. "Can you be there at 6? I promise I'll actually have it ready this time...you won't have to cook it with me," she added.

"It's a date then," Leo agreed.

Piper smiled and leaned across the counter to kiss him softly on the lips. "I'll see you tonight."

"I can't wait," he told her quietly, stealing one more quick kiss before leaving to go back to the hospital.


	9. Chapter 9

**AN: Once again, sorry it took a bit to update, but college is starting and things are getting a little crazy. I will try to update at least once a week, but I can't make any promises. And thank you to everyone who reviewed so far, I hope you enjoy this enough to leave me at least a little note to say whether or not you liked it. If I get more reviews, I might get inspired enough to update sooner!**

Leo stood in front of Piper's door wearing very nice blue jeans, a white button up shirt and a black sports coat. He took a few deep breaths to calm himself down before knocking on the door, which was promptly answered by Piper, who was wearing a black dress that not only showed off her curves, but also a conservative—yet still very enticing—amount of skin. Seeing her in what she was wearing made him stand there momentarily looking completely dumbfounded.

"Uh...Leo? You going to stand in front of my door all night, because if so, I'm leaving you to go eat dinner before it gets cold," she told him with a smile. She'd chosen to wear her hair down that night with the sides pulled back with a beret so as not to keep falling in her face.

"What?" he finally realized she had said something to him. "Oh...oh right. This is for you," he said, entering her penthouse and handing her the bottle of wine he'd brought her.

"Leo, you don't have to bring me something every time you come to see me," Piper told him as she took the bottle from him and kissed his cheek. "But thank you. Why don't we save this for later? I've already got us some white wine poured," she added, taking his hand and leading him into her kitchen.

He just smiled and followed her lead, freezing once again when he saw the kitchen. The dinner itself looked like a picture straight from the brochure of some fancy five star restaurant, and the table setting looked picturesque as well with a couple candles, a nice tablecloth, elegant place settings and a vase of the roses he'd sent her earlier serving as the table centerpiece. The kitchen's lights were dim, but from what Leo could tell, Piper had already cleaned up everything she'd used to cook with; her kitchen looked spotless. "Wow," he finally managed to get out. "Piper...you didn't have to do all this." It was a definite change from the last dinner they'd shared together in her kitchen.

She just gave him a smile. "I know, but the last time we had dinner in here, both the kitchen and I were in a frazzled mess. Things were pretty hectic...I just wanted you to have a better impression. When I ask a guest to dinner, that's not usually what they get. And while this is more romantic than having my sisters or friends over, it's supposed to be a date, so I did the candlelight and roses thing. I hope you don't think it's too much...I know this is really only our second date..."

Leo pulled her close and kissed her lips softly, interrupting her nervous rambling. "It's perfect," he told her honestly.

"Um...ok then," she said a bit breathlessly. Seeing her lipstick had smeared slightly on his lips, she reached up and gently wiped it off with her thumb. "That is definitely not your shade," she laughed, pulling out of his arms and moving to sit down.

After dinner Piper carried the dishes to the sink and began cleaning up. Leo waited until Piper had her hands in the dishwater before coming up behind her and gently sliding his arms around her small waist. "Have I told you that you look amazing tonight?" he whispered softly in her ear, one hand rubbing across her flat stomach.

Piper felt a slight jolt at his touch and had to remind herself how to breathe. If his touch felt that good through her clothes, she couldn't wait to find out what it would feel like on her bare skin. _Stop...you have to quit thinking like that. You don't want to jump into another relationship this quickly,_ she tried to remind herself. Unfortunately for her, his touches were quickly erasing her common sense. _God, Phoebe is right...I really need to get laid._ "Thank you," she finally answered his compliment with a smile, doing her best to continue cleaning up like he was completely unaffecting her.

"Thank you for dinner," he replied back, bringing a hand up to push some hair aside and kissing her neck.

_Oh God...that feels amazing..._she thought, closing her eyes as her breath caught slightly. "Thank you for coming over. I enjoy cooking, and I enjoy cooking for other people," she got out, hoping her voice sounded much calmer and steadier than she felt.

Leo grinned and moved his body closer against her back. _God, she smells amazing._ "Would you like some help with the dishes?" he offered as his lips moved down to her shoulder.

"Ah..." she trailed off, already having a war between her body and head, and his kisses were only making it harder to think. Piper's head finally won the battle temporarily, and she carefully ducked out of his embrace. "I can handle the dishes. Why don't you go in the living room and make yourself comfortable? Besides, it's not going to take me very long. I'm very quick with dishes," she told him with a smile. "But you are very sweet to offer."

Leo backed off a bit then, realizing he may have been moving too fast, and he definitely didn't want to pressure her. He knew she had a painful past with her ex-husband, he didn't want to scare her away, and he didn't want her to do something in the heat of the moment she didn't feel ready for. "Only if you're sure you don't need any help."

Piper took a deep breath and offered him a smile. "I'm positive. I'll only be a few minutes and then we can get to my club." Piper let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding once Leo left the room. Now she had some time to clear her head before they went to the club.

Piper purposely took longer on the dishes than was necessary, mostly because she was having some serious trouble getting her head cleared again after the way he'd been touching and kissing her in the kitchen. One look at the time, however, reminded her that they needed to get to the club soon, so she finished the last of the dishes and went into the living room to find Leo. "Alright, are you ready to go see one hell of a concert?" she asked him with a smile.

Leo stood and returned her smile. "I'm ready if you're ready," he answered, letting his hand rest at the small of her back while they walked out to his car.

Once at the club, Piper led him through the crowd to her private booth in the VIP area. They shared a bit of small talk, which required him leaning down right next to her ear so they could hear each other since it was already so loud, and the band hadn't even come out yet. He had his arm stretched out along the seat behind her, while she gingerly rested a hand on his thigh, of course not really knowing how that one innocent touch alone would be enough to put all kinds of not so innocent thoughts about her into his head—more so than he already had.

With her that close, he couldn't really resist her, so he slowly leaned in to kiss her, wanting to make sure she had time to pull away if she didn't want it. Instead of pulling away, she closed the distance between them, running a hand along the lapel of his jacket. She felt safer kissing him in public, because she knew if they were in public then she wouldn't be so tempted to rip his clothes off and have her way with him. It was when they were absolutely alone in her penthouse together that she was really worried about.

Their kisses began innocently enough, but both wanted more, and so gradually the intensity of the kisses increased. Neither was really paying attention to anyone or anything other than the lips of the other, so when Phoebe approached and cleared her throat, it got absolutely no reaction.

"Geez, you two...get a room already," Phoebe finally said, tired of waiting to be acknowledged.

Piper immediately broke the kiss and blushed. "Phoebe...you didn't tell me you were coming tonight," she stated as she worked on returning her breathing to normal.

"Duh...you've got a band, and I want free drinks. Then again, I guess you've had your mind occupied with other things," Phoebe giggled. "Hi, Leo."

Leo smiled slightly in return. "Phoebe," he greeted.

"Apparently it's a good thing I did show up. Looks like you two need a chaperone," she teased her sister.

Piper just rolled her eyes. "Oh please...you're one to talk," she shook her head.

Phoebe laughed. "I know, but I always wanted to be the one who gets to say it instead of having it said to me."

"Just shut up and sit down," Piper replied, giving Leo an apologetic look. Had she known one of her sisters would show up, she would have at least warned him. Then again, Phoebe always showed up at her club when there was a band...or when she wanted free alcohol...so Piper realized she should have seen that one coming since her baby sister was such a freeloader.

Piper and Leo stayed for about half an hour after the band had finished their show. She knew there was no way Phoebe would be leaving since it was still before midnight, and she stayed and got all the free drinks she could fit into the night, but Piper's idea of a date with Leo definitely did not include her baby sister, so she and Leo said goodbye to Phoebe before leaving.

Once again, Leo was a complete gentleman and insisted on walking Piper to her door, even though it was only a few feet away from his own. "I'm really sorry about my sister showing up tonight. She drops by all the time for free drinks, especially when I've got a band playing...I should have thought to warn you. You should have had the chance to say no," Piper apologized to him.

Leo laughed slightly and shook his head. "It's ok. True, I wasn't expecting Phoebe to pop in, but it's ok. She didn't ruin our evening or anything. I had a very good time with you tonight," he assured her.

"Still...I'm really sorry. My sisters really do have he absolute worst timing," she apologized again.

"Hey, you were there...that's all that mattered to me," he told her softly, gently kissing her lips.

Piper smiled a little once he pulled back from the kiss. "You know, it's still pretty early. Would you like to come in and share that bottle of wine now?" she asked him as she pulled out her keys.

"I would love to," Leo answered her with a grin, following her inside once she'd unlocked the door.

"You go make yourself comfortable and I'll go get the wine and some glasses," she instructed him, leaving him to head off into the kitchen. She entered the living room a few moments later, as promised, as set the bottle and glasses on her coffee table before taking a seat on the couch beside Leo, who had removed his black sports coat. She had opened the bottle in the kitchen, so she leaned forward and poured them each a glass, handing one to him while taking a sip from hers.

"Dinner was really great tonight, Piper. And your club really is amazing. I don't remember if I told you that the first time I was there," he complimented her.

She smiled and took another sip of her wine. "Thank you. You don't mind if I take my shoes off, do you? I've been in these heels all day, and my feet are letting me know it," she told him.

Leo shook his head. "Here, let me," he offered, placing his wine glass on the coffee table and moving a bit closer to her on the couch so he could gently pull her feet into his lap. He carefully removed her shoes and began expertly massaging her feet.

Piper closed her eyes and laid her head back on the arm of her couch, careful not to spill her wine. "Oh my God...that feels amazing," she moaned in pure pleasure.

Hearing her moan, Leo felt his jeans tighten slightly. He had to force himself to breathe slowly and continue massaging her feet, knowing she wasn't trying to turn him on in anyway with her moans, she was just de-stressing herself. "You like that, huh?" he grinned.

Piper kept her eyes closed with a smile. "Oh yeah...you have the most amazing hands..." she trailed off in a husky voice, carefully sipping her wine as she enjoyed him pampering her for a bit.

He took the time she wasn't paying attention to him to indulge himself, letting his eyes trail over her face and body. She looked so innocent and beautiful lying on the couch with her eyes closed, almost like an angel, and her voice had been so sexy. _Her ex-husband has to be a complete idiot to cheat on, much less leave a woman like this_.

She felt his eyes on her, but gave him a few more moments before opening her eyes to meet his. "What?" she asked softly, emptying her glass and stretching out to set it on the coffee table.

Leo shook his head with a smile. "You're just so beautiful," he answered, stopping her foot massage momentarily as he got lost in her eyes.

The intensity of his gaze and compliment caused Piper to blush. "Thank you...but I'm not that beautiful," she told him modestly.

"And that just makes you more beautiful...you don't even realize it," he told her with a smile, his eyes still locked on hers. He continued watching her until he couldn't take it anymore. "Piper...the last thing I want to do is take advantage of you or hurt you...but God, I want to kiss you so much right now," he admitted to her. Sure it may have taken a little of the romance and spontaneity out of the situation to say it like that, but they both had some alcohol in their systems, and the last thing he wanted was to do something to screw up what they had going.

Piper giggled softly and nodded. "It's ok, I won't feel taken advantage of. And I really don't think a kiss is going to hurt me," she told him, impressed he was asking before just assuming he had the right to kiss her like other guys.

Leo gave her a smile before shifting his position and kissing her gently, once again letting her be the one to set the pace. He was just grateful she was open enough to give him a chance after her past, he was willing to take whatever she would give to him. After a few moments he took a chance and very carefully slipped his tongue past her lips, praying she wouldn't get spooked and pull away.

Piper's reaction was quite the opposite, as a small moan escaped her lips when his tongue met hers. This seemed to fuel both of them, as Piper's hand ran up his chest and tangled in his hair while he shifted his position even more so that he was now overtop of her. His position only served to make Piper moan again, and with each moan he heard, his pants got increasingly tight.

Leo shifted his position again slightly, trying to get a little more comfortable, which caused his hardening lower half to press against her, causing yet another moan to escape Piper, only this one coming from lower in her throat. She deepened the kiss, playing with fire as she let her tongue sensually move over his and into his mouth. Her body wanted him and was currently winning the battle, telling her common sense to shut up and take a hike.

Her actions were making it extremely difficult for Leo to focus and maintain control. She had no clue just how dangerous the game she was playing was. His hand found her knee and slowly slid up her thigh underneath her dress, which was when her brain finally took over.

"Leo...I can't..." she apologized softly, breaking the kiss. Once he moved off her and sat up, she did the same. "I'm sorry...but I'm not ready to be intimate again. It means a lot to me to go there...it's not something I just do. I want to...believe me, my body is screaming at me to go for it, but my head...I'm just not ready to give a man all of me again, not yet," she tried to explain.

"It's ok...I'm sorry, I shouldn't have gone that far," Leo quickly apologized, mentally kicking himself for pushing. "I'll go...I'm sorry," he said again.

"You don't have to leave..." she stopped him quickly. "I mean, you can if you want, but you don't have to leave on my account. If you just want to stay and talk..." she told him.

Leo took a deep breath. He wanted to do so many things to her and with her right then, and talking was nowhere on that list. But if she was okay with him staying and wanted him to stay, then he'd stay. He wanted to show her it wasn't just sex for him, so if he had to put his sexual desire aside temporarily, then he'd do it for her because to him, she was worth it. "Okay, if you're sure," he said, studying her face to determine that she was really okay with it.

Piper smiled and poured herself another glass of wine before moving closer to him and resting her head against his shoulder, stretching her feet out and getting comfortable, which was exactly how they fell asleep once they'd finished the wine and shared small talk a few hours later.


	10. Chapter 10

**AN: Thanks to everyone who left feedback and is still reading this ongoing piece; I really do appreciate it, especially since I know it keeps taking me long periods to update. I do apologize for that, but life gets crazy...something always comes up when I think I'm going to get a chance to write, and sometimes I just have writers block. I know this is a short chapter, but it's setting up for something I know you guys are gonna love...and I've already got part of the next chapter written, so hopefully it won't take me a month to update again. Once again, any and all feedback is greatly appreciated!**

When Piper woke up the next morning and found herself on the couch next to Leo, she smiled before carefully disentangling herself from him and going to take a shower. When she came out of her bedroom fully dressed, she found Leo waiting patiently. He handed her one of the cups of coffee he was holding with a smile. "Thought you might want some of this," he grinned.

"Thank you," she said, taking a sip before kissing him quickly.

"Do you mind if I use your bathroom?" he asked her then.

"Because your's is such a long 2 minute walk away?" she teased him. "Sure, go ahead," she giggled, heading toward the front door then to get the morning paper she had delivered there every morning. When she opened the door, she was surprised to see her little sister there, ready to open the door with the hide a key. "Phoebe! What are you doing?" Piper asked her, picking up the paper before moving aside to let her sister enter.

"Laundry day!" Phoebe announced, dragging in two large bags almost overflowing with laundry.

"Isn't it a little early for you to be up, much less doing laundry?" Piper had to ask.

Phoebe just raised an eyebrow. "It's almost noon...are you just getting up?" she asked, a smile starting to form on her lips.

"I was up late last night," Piper shrugged, taking a sip of her coffee just as Leo appeared in the same clothes he'd been wearing last night and his own cup of coffee. The fact that his hair looked like he'd just woken up as well didn't help matters any.

"Yeah, I can see that..." Phoebe grinned. "I guess I'll have to start knocking before I come in from now on," she added as she dragged her laundry bags through the kitchen and back to the laundry room.

Piper sighed and gave Leo a small smile. "Thank you for putting up with that one...I only do it because she's my sister and I have to," she apologized.

"Don't worry about it. There's something I want to ask you. A friend of mine has a beach house down in San Diego...he said I can use it this coming weekend if I want. Would you like to go with me?" Leo asked her a little nervously. "I mean, there's no pressure...no assumptions about anything. There's 3 bedrooms, so you'd have your own space. I just thought it would be nice to have a little weekend getaway...get some sun...what do you say?"

Piper had to smile at his nervousness; he really was cute when he stumbled over his words like that. "Why don't you let me think about it?" she suggested. She of course knew he wouldn't expect sex, especially since he'd already made a point of letting her know she'd have her own bedroom, but it was still a big step to go away for a weekend with someone, sex or not. "Can I let you know tonight?"

"Yeah, that's fine. And Piper, it's really okay if you don't want to go. I just thought you might like some time to just relax," he told her. "But I need to go now. I've got some patients at the hospital to check on."

"Well I promise I'll think about it. And thank you for understanding last night," she said, kissing him softly and going to pull away, only to be pulled back against him for a deeper, more passionate kiss goodbye. "Ok then..." she breathed once he'd finally relinquished his grip on her.

"I'll call you later," he promised as he handed her his now empty coffee cup and left.

"So...you and Leo...last night...dish," Phoebe said with a huge grin plastered on her face as Piper walked into the kitchen where Phoebe was sitting on a counter like she owned the place.

Piper rolled her eyes and placed Leo's cup in the sink before pouring herself another cup of coffee. "There's nothing to tell."

"What?! I come over here at noon...noon Piper...and find you just getting up...you who never sleeps past 8:30...with Leo who is still in the exact same clothes he wore last night...and you tell me there is nothing to tell?!" Phoebe exclaimed excitedly.

"We fell asleep on the couch, Phoebe, there's really nothing to tell," Piper shrugged, taking a drink of her coffee as she sat down at the table to look through the paper. "Aren't you supposed to be doing your laundry?"

"Don't change the subject," Phoebe said quickly. "So you did it on your couch, huh? Glad you told me before I went and sat down there," she added teasingly.

Piper just shook her head. "Look, I'm telling you that nothing happened. The only thing we did on that couch last night was share some wine, share a few kisses and fall asleep. I'm not ready to just jump into bed with another man yet. That's why I'm not sure if I'm going to San Diego with him this weekend or not," she let slip out.

"Woah...back up. He asked you to go on a trip with him?! Piper this is huge!"

"Yeah...yeah I know. That's why I don't know if I'm going. I mean, yes, he made it very clear that I'd have my own bedroom if I wanted it, but I know he's a guy and he still is really hoping for sex on this trip," she sighed.

"Piper, what are you so scared of? That you'll sleep with him and actually like it?" Phoebe had to ask.

"Yes! I mean no...what I'm scared of is that I'll fall in love with him even more than I already am...and then he decides he doesn't want me anymore. I've been through that once, Phoebe. I'm just now getting my life back together...I don't want to go through that again," Piper admitted quietly.

"Sweetie..." Phoebe started, sliding down off the counter and hugging her sister. "Riley was an asshole, ok? He was stupid. I know he hurt you...but you can't go through the rest of your life too afraid to let yourself be happy again. You owe it to yourself to take this chance on love. Look...it all comes down to this. Do you trust Leo?" she asked. Hearing Piper say of course she did, Phoebe continued. "Does he make you happy?" Getting an affirmative answer once again, she gave her sister a reassuring smile. "Then go to San Diego with him and play it by ear. If it feels right, you should go for it. If not, you already said he understood, right? Don't let what Riley did to you make you miss out on something great with Leo," she advised. "And on that note...I'm off to do laundry."


	11. Chapter 11

**AN: Alright, I know that this chapter is super duper short...and normally I wouldn't post such a short chapter, but I decided I needed to post this little bit first, because I don't really want to split the next chapter up, and I do need to change the rating of this story to M for the next chapter...so I wanted to give all my readers a heads up that beginning with the next chapter, you'll have to look for it under that rating. And don't worry, I've already got it written, so it won't take forever to post. But I do want to wait a few days just so that everyone who's kept up with my story so far has a chance to get the memo about the rating change so they'll be able to find the story if it isn't bookmarked. As always, feedback is greatly appreciated!**

Piper's suitcase lay open on her bed as she paced nervously. "Piper...calm down," Prue told her, placing her hands reassuringly on her shoulders in an effort to stop the back and forth motion. "You're supposed to be going away to relax. Don't stress yourself out so much that you can't enjoy it."

"That's easy for you to say, Prue. You're married, you have sex all the time," Piper shook her head. Seeing her sister's look, she smiled. "Ok, maybe not all the time, but enough. It's been 2 years for me, Prue...I'm a little out of practice."

"So then you have decided to sleep with him?" Prue asked her.

"No...maybe...I don't know yet," Piper sighed, running her hands through her hair. "That's part of the problem."

"Ok Sweetie...you need to relax and breathe," Prue said calmingly, sitting on the edge of the bed and pulling Piper down next to her. "You're going to have your own room, alright? Nothing is going to happen at that beach house that you don't want to happen. You trust Leo, right? Yes, he's a guy and ultimately he'd like to get lucky...but he's not going to force you into anything that you don't want to do. But if you do decide to do it, you need to trust him enough to know that he's not going to let the fact that it's been awhile for you affect anything. And in all honesty...I think you need to have this conversation with him. This is a decision that involves both of you, and I think that it's important for him to know how you feel and why you feel that way. If our positions were reversed and you were giving me advice, you'd tell me exactly the same thing," she recommended with a smile.

Piper nodded slowly and drew in a deep breath. "You're right. I know Leo isn't going to make me do anything I don't want, and if I do decide I want him, then I need to talk to him. It's not fair to him to keep him out of the loop or make him feel like he's being punished for something he didn't even do." She got up then and closed her suitcase, hearing a knock on the door as she began to zip it up. "That's probably him now. Will you get it?"

Prue did as she was asked and answered the door. "Piper's almost ready, she's just getting a couple more things together," she said, stepping aside to let Leo enter the penthouse. "I'll go see if I can help her. Oh, and Leo...if you hurt my little sister in any way, there won't be enough of you left to identify who you are at the morgue," she warned him seriously as she went to help Piper get any last items she needed to take with her.

Once Piper was ready, all three rode the elevator down together. As Leo was loading Piper's things into his car, Prue was once again telling Piper to relax and have fun. "Don't worry about the club or Quake...I'll check in on them to make sure everything is still running smoothly. You just go get a great tan and forget about the rest of the world for the weekend. And remember...no sex without safe sex," she grinned.

Piper rolled her eyes with a laugh as she hugged her sister. "Yes, Mom," she answered playfully. Leo had finished loading her things in the back by then and started up the car, so Piper said one last quick goodbye to Prue before getting in so they could leave.

**AN: Once again, please remember that with the next chapter, I have to change the rating to M, so when looking for this story from now on, please be sure to look under the M rating. I promise you guys are gonna love the next chapter...and as always, I really do appreciate it if you take a moment to hit the little "Submit Review" button and let me know that I still have some readers out there.**


	12. Chapter 12

**AN: Alright, here it is...the chapter I know you've all been waiting for...and with this chapter the story's rating changed to M...because the following does include some very, very adult material, and if you are offended by reading the graphically detailed personal lives of others, you should probably stop now. Otherwise, please continue.**

It was dusk by the time Piper and Leo arrived at the beach house. "Oh my God, the house is beautiful," she said in awe as they walked inside. It was large enough with three bedrooms and a fold out sofa to be a vacation house for a medium to large family, but still cozy enough to provide a romantic getaway for a couple as well.

Leo set down their bags and grinned. "You haven't even seen the view of the ocean from your bedroom yet," he told her, picking up her suitcase and motioning for her to follow him, which she did. He lead her up the stairs and down the hall, giving her the rather large master bedroom that had a master bathroom and French doors leading out to a terrace with hot tub and an excellent view of the ocean as the beach was literally their backyard.

"Holy crap," Piper said after seeing the room she'd be staying in. She continued to look around the room and spotted the doors leading out to the terrace, which was what she examined next. "Leo, did you know there is a hot tub out here?" she asked, coming back in through the French doors.

"Yeah," he laughed. "I'm planning on using it if you'll let me," he added.

"You can use it...as long as you don't mind sharing, because I'm not sure you'll get me out of it," she informed him with a grin.

"Oh I'll get you out of it," he promised. Seeing her disbelieving look he grinned. "I'll get you out of it," he repeated more confidently, quickly scooping her up in his arms and depositing her on the bed as he began to tickle her sides.

"That's not fair!" she giggled, trying futilely to grab his hands and stop his attack. She quickly gave up squirming and decided to use her other assets to get him to stop, opting to pull him down for a long kiss instead.

"Now who's not playing fair?" Leo asked breathlessly with a smile.

Piper just grinned up at him. "It got you to stop didn't it?" she pointed out, gently pushing him up and off her so she could sit up. "Why don't you give me a few minutes to change, and then we can go get some dinner," she suggested.

"Alright," he nodded, getting up from the bed then. "I'll meet you downstairs."

After dinner, they walked back along the beach, Piper's sundress flowing freely in the breeze. She slipped her hand into Leo's and laced her fingers with his. She'd worn sandals, so the height difference was even greater than it normally was.

"You look beautiful tonight," Leo told her quietly, the wind rustling his white cotton shirt as well.

"Thank you," she answered with a smile. She was quiet for a few more moments before saying anything else. "Leo...you know you're the first man I've really dated since my ex-husband..." she started out nervously. "I guess what I'm trying to say is that the last man I was with...I guess I wasn't enough because he had to go to other women..."

"Hey, stop right there," he interrupted her, stopping then and turning her to face him so she could see how serious he was. "Your ex-husband is a selfish, stupid bastard who doesn't deserve you. You're a beautiful, kind, amazing woman who any man is extremely lucky to have. I don't know what the hell he was thinking, but he's an idiot to have hurt you, and one day he's going to wake up to realize how lonely and dissatisfied he is with his life and the choices he made," he told her softly.

"You really think that?" she had to ask, a part of her still believing she had done something wrong or not been good enough to keep him around.

Leo smiled and gently brushed his fingertips over her cheek. "I know that I'm extremely lucky that you've given me just a few nights of your life, and I plan on being here for as long as you'll let me," he promised, kissing her softly. "And at the risk of scaring you off, which I'm hoping not to do...I have to tell you...Piper, I'm in love with you."

Piper stood there, searching his eyes for a few moments and seeing just how true those words were; instead of just throwing the words around to get her into bed like most men would, what she saw reflected in his eyes was genuine feelings. She hadn't been expecting him to tell her that; sure she knew he enjoyed spending time with her, obviously, since he kept asking her out, but this wasn't something men usually said so quickly.

"Piper?" he asked, her silence making him a little nervous.

She realized she should probably say something at the point, especially because he was looking so antsy, but she wasn't really sure what to say. She wasn't sure she was emotionally ready to say she was in love with him, even though she knew she was falling hard and fast. She did the next best thing and gave him a little smile before saying, "I'm falling in love with you too," and then she pulled him in for a passionate kiss.

Leo smiled as he reluctantly broke the kiss to get some much needed oxygen. "Really?" he asked, a little surprised himself to have gotten that response from her.

Piper giggled and pushed him playfully. "Really," she said, taking his hand again and starting to walk the short distance back to the house. Once inside the house, she looked up at him with an almost mischievous smile. "You want to share the hot tub?" she offered.

Leo grinned at this and had to force himself not to run up the stairs two at a time then in his rush to get that close to her wearing nothing but a swim suit. "I'll meet you there then," he said in a voice much calmer than he felt, starting up the stairs and waiting until he was out of her sight to literally run down the hall to his room, starting to undress on the way.

Piper just smiled and started up the stairs herself then. She quickly changed into a black bikini, pulled her hair up and set up some candles around the room, trying to set the romantic mood and carrying it out to the hot tub as well, where she set up a few more candles around the edge before getting in.

Leo knocked lightly on the door to her bedroom in case she wasn't finished changing yet. Hearing her call out that she was already enjoying the hot tub, he opened the door and smiled when he saw the only lights in the room and on the terrace were the lighted candles she'd set up. "The candles are nice," told her, slipping into the water with her. He was glad his swim trunks were loose, because the sight of her in her black bikini had his lower half filling some of the loose material. "You look...wow."

Piper blushed a little self consciously. "Thanks. You're pretty wow too," she said quietly, enjoying the sight of him wet and half naked about as much as he was her. "Thank you for bringing me here," she added with a smile, moving closer and straddling him then. She was a little out of practice at the seduction thing, so she was definitely nervous and doing her best not to show it.

He was a little surprised at this boldness in her he hadn't seen before. After all, she'd always backed away when things began to get a little too physical, and now she was sitting in his lap wearing the little bit of fabric that made up her bikini. "Um...you're welcome..." he managed to get out, his lower half reacting to her position on him. "Piper...are you sure? You don't have to do this," he told her softly, really, really hoping she wasn't going to change her mind now.

She gave him a smile and kissed him gently, sliding her tongue past his lips and sensually stroking his tongue with hers. "Answer your question?" she whispered against his lips.

Leo smiled and ran his hands down her sides slowly, noticing the hitch in her breathing as he did so. He brought his hands to rest on her hips as he kissed her again, taking things as slow as his body would let him since he knew it had been awhile for her and not wanting her to get nervous or spooked or anything else.

Piper let out a soft moan and deepened the kiss, her lips slowly moving across his jaw and finding a sensitive area just behind his ear. Hearing a groan as his grip on her hips tightened just slightly, she giggled. "Oh, you like that, huh?" she purred in his ear, which of course got another groan from him.

"God...Piper..." he breathed, his growing erection beginning to really make its presence known. The soft sigh from her as she felt it pushing against her only fueled the fire between them. He moved his lips to her neck and across her collarbone, gently teasing her with his teeth. Her moan got a grin from him, and he slowly moved his kisses down her chest, leaving a wet trail with his tongue.

His actions made it impossible for her to breathe normally, much less actually think, and all that came out were soft moans of pleasure. Her hands found their way into his hair as her back arched slightly toward him and her hips ground against his.

Leo slowly dipped his tongue between her breasts, sucking and nipping her skin playfully as he left his mark on her. He moved his hands up her body to where her bikini top was tied and looked in her eyes, asking for permission to go further.

She kissed him gently, lightly running her fingertips across his cheek before nodding with a smile and watching his face nervously as he pulled the ties to her top loose and finally released her breasts from the fabric covering them. Seeing his eyes cloud over with desire, the nervousness began to fade away.

He was completely speechless as he dropped the small piece of fabric outside the hot tub. "You're so beautiful," he whispered, reaching up to release her hair from the clip holding it back and running his fingers through it as he kissed her again. He pulled her closer, groaning as her bare breasts pressed against him. "Ok Piper...if you're going to stop me during this, you better do it now..." he murmured against her lips, giving her one last chance to back out if she wanted to.

Piper just smiled, pulling her lips just out of his reach as he went to kiss her again. "If I were going to stop you, I would have done it before you got my top off," she said softly. She dropped back enough to look in his eyes. "Make love to me," she added, her voice husky with passion and desire.

He pulled her close once more, kissing her hungrily, holding absolutely nothing back from her now. His tongue penetrated her lips, giving her a preview of what was to come. He took her in his arms and carefully stood up, getting out of the hot tub and carrying her into the bedroom. Running his hands up her thighs as he set her feet on the ground, he deepened his kisses as his hands once again rested on her small waist.

She ran her hands down his chest, pausing only a moment at the waistband of his swimsuit before slipping her hands inside and maneuvering the wet clothes down and over his hips until they dropped to the floor with a soft thud. Hearing a groan as his erection was now free, Piper smiled and stepped back, letting her eyes travel over his naked form appreciatively. "Well, well Dr. Wyatt..." she smiled. She was definitely going to enjoy herself with his size.

He grinned and stepped out of his shorts as he grabbed her again, falling on top of her on the bed. His lips found hers again, his hand slowly moving up her side until it found her breast. He trailed kisses down her chest once more, giving her breasts careful attention now. He ran his tongue around and over her nipple before taking it in his mouth and sucking, gently grazing the erect flesh with his teeth before nibbling teasingly. Her soft moans urged him to continue, which he did until he'd successfully claimed her breast as his own before moving on and giving the same attention to her other breast.

"Leo..." she moaned softly, the two years without sex combined with the way Leo's touch affected her made her body extremely responsive. Her back arched toward his mouth again, and she moaned once more as his lips moved below her breasts, on the way to her belly button. When he let his tongue play there, she arched her hips slightly, and he took the opportunity to slide her bikini bottoms slowly down her legs and drop them to the floor.

He looked at her, completely nude before him and just let his eyes take in her beauty. He watched as she slid up further on the bed and crawled closer. He lightly lifted her leg, moving his hands and kisses very slowly upward, starting at her ankle. Once he reached her mid-thigh, he gave her a devilish grin before running his tongue the rest of the way up his leg. He gave her a soft, teasing kiss where her leg met her hip before cutting to the chase and running his tongue over her center.

His tongue touching her most sensitive area caused a louder moan to escape from lower in her throat. Her hands found their way into his hair once again, and a few seconds later when Leo slipped his tongue inside of her, they tightened in his hair. It had been a long time for her, and the attention Leo was giving her body in that way had her about ready to break. His tongue moving in circles in and out of her was all it took for the flood gates to burst as her climax sent waves of ecstasy through her body.

Leo smiled as he watched her face while she rode the waves of her orgasm. He moved his kisses back to her lips and gave her a smile, lightly touching her cheek. "I love you, Piper," he said softly, using his knee to gently spread her legs a little more and settling in between them. He very slowly slid his length inside of her, making sure to go slow enough not to hurt her while her body adjusted to his size. He watched her eyes fill with passion as she lightly bit her lip. Feeling her begin to squirm beneath him was his cue that she was ready, and he began a tender, loving pace as his lips caressed her neck, chin and lips.

Piper's hands moved up his chest and over his back, her nails raking across his skin as she matched his pace, the passion inside her building once more. Her moans of pleasure gradually increased in frequency and volume as the rhythm of their bodies increased. Feeling her body about to reach its peak, her hands found his and fingers laced together so that they were touching in almost every way possible. She looked into his eyes and squeezed his hands, moaning his name in complete bliss as she climaxed.

Her climax sent Leo over the edge as well, her name escaping his lips in low, erotic tones that mixed with her own moans of pleasure as the lovers finished together. He gave her a few moments to catch her breath before covering her lips with his in a very sensual, loving kiss. "God I love you," he said with a smile, waiting until his erection had softened before completely pulling out of her and moving to lie next to her.

"Oh my God...I'd forgotten how good sex can be," she said with a smile. Hearing him laugh, she smacked his chest playfully. "It's been two years, Leo...two years, ok? And you...you were just...amazing," she kissed him with a grin.

"You were pretty amazing yourself," he told her with another kiss, his hand lightly rubbing her back as she rested her head on his shoulder.

Neither needed to say much more than that, both enjoying the after glow of their love making. They shared small pillow talk, soft kisses and caresses between rounds of passionate and intense sex until the wee hours of the morning, when both lovers were too exhausted to do anything else but sleep peacefully in each other's arms.

**AN: Alright...now you guys love me for giving you the Piper and Leo sex, right? How about you tell me how much you love me for it by clicking on the SUBMIT REVIEW button...please? Pretty please? I really do like reviews, especially after writing a sex scene, as your feedback helps me. It really does...it lets me know if you guys think I went overboard or not. Oh, one more thing...safe sex is very important, and although there is no mention of condom use because it sort of detracts from the visual impact of the scene as you're reading, condoms were used and there was no unsafe, unprotected sex practiced in this story. Just know they used protection, even though I didn't actually write it in. And did I mention...please review! Hope you all enjoyed it, and that it was worth waiting for.**


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